


Regular

by Pheonix_Inside



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Valentino (Hazbin Hotel), Alternate Universe - Human, Background Charlie Magne/Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel), Background Cherri Bomb/Sir Pentious (Hazbin Hotel), Car Accidents, Car Chases, Concussions, Fluff, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Human AU, Human Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Human Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Hurt Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Sex, Kissing, M/M, Major Character Injury, Murder, Near Death Experiences, On the Run, Romance, Smoking, Soft Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26782975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pheonix_Inside/pseuds/Pheonix_Inside
Summary: Husk had been doomed from the moment Angel had walked into his bar.OrAngel accidentally commits a murder and Husk is dragged along when he has to leave town.
Relationships: Alastor & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Charlie Magne, Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 53
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by [sometimeswritingsometimesdying ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimeswritingsometimesdying).

Husk had been doomed from the moment Angel had walked into his bar.

With that annoyingly charming smile and those beautiful mismatched eyes, Angel held a certain charm. He’d caught Husk’s eye when he first walked in, though that was more due to the bright and noticeably revealing clothing he’d been wearing at the time.

Angel had looked over at the bar, spotting Husk, and they made eye contact for a moment before Husk went back to cleaning the glass in his hands. Of course, he wasn’t able to escape that easily. Angel beelined it to the bar, taking a seat close to Husk.

As much as he wished for it, Husk didn’t have the luxury of being left alone. As soon as the attractive man he was very aware of opened his mouth, Husk wished he’d never walked in

And all he’d said was “Hey.”

Of course, it was the way he said it, with that obviously flirty tone. Husk rolled his eyes.

“Go fuck yourself.” He replied, almost on reflex. A part of him regretted it, the guy had barely said anything to him, but another part of him didn’t care. And then Angel’s response to it definitely made a lot more of him not care.

“Only if you watch me.”

_This fucking asshole._

Husk sighed, cursing out whatever higher power decided to let this guy come in, and he did his best to tune him out, going back to cleaning the glass yet again.

Angel tried to strike up conversation a few more times, before he got the memo and shut up.

Of course, he was soon distracted by another guy who sat next to him and started flirting. Husk just sighed and tried to tune it out. Of course he couldn’t.

It wasn’t until the guy asked him for a drink that Husk even visibly paid attention. He made whatever overly sweet drink the guy ordered. He had a feeling it was for the younger man next to him that Husk was still all too aware of.

He’d been right, no surprise there. The guy had taken the drink for a moment, and Husk saw his hand move a bit weirdly for a second there, hovering over the top, which was odd. Suspicious. Then he’d handed it to Angel.

Angel took a few light sips from the drink, seemingly weary. Husk couldn’t help but notice what looked like fizzing around the bottom of the glass. He knew the drink didn’t normally do that.

_The guy put something in his drink. No doubt about it._

Husk made sure to pay a bit more attention.

Said guy seemed to be encouraging Angel to drink more, and Angel, while seeming to be going with it and flirting back with the same fire he’d had before, was a bit more… wound up, or weary, or reserved, or something. Husk didn’t know the guy, so he couldn’t exactly pinpoint it directly, but he’d seen stuff like this happen enough at his bar that he could recognize the basics.

It was reaching a point where the guy was getting annoying, and the fizzing in the drink had stopped - which was almost more concerning, and Husk’s patience had reached its limit.

“Okay, fuck off.” He said to the guy, “I saw you slip something in his drink, you’re not subtle.”

The guy’s face screwed up in frustration for a moment, he was obviously not pleased.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He feigned innocence. Badly.

“I saw you put something in his drink, like I said.” Husk replied, “Besides, you keep telling him to finish it, which is enough that even if I hadn’t seen it, I’d be suspicious.”

He received a glare, “Mind your damn business, why do you care?”

Husk glared right back. “This is my bar, I don’t exactly wanna see this shit happen.” He said.

It wasn’t a good excuse, but he wasn’t about to admit he actually cared about peoples’ wellbeing or something. Especially not a stranger’s. That was weird.

“Ugh.” The guy groaned, before turning to Angel, going back to flirting, “C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

Was this guy serious?

Angel had raised an eyebrow, before shaking his head, “Nah. I like it here.”

The guy got huffy, Angel told him to fuck off, Husk backed him up, and the guy finally left them alone.

Angel stayed that night for maybe another hour, sparing glances at Husk as he pretended he didn’t notice. When he finally left, he left Husk a big tip, giving a quick thanks for calling the guy out. Husk had just shrugged it off, but he had a hunch that Angel knew better.

And then Angel came back. And again, he tried to get Husk to talk to him.

It wasn’t until the third or fourth time he came to the bar that Husk really acknowledged him, but that was enough for Angel.

When he wasn’t trying to flirt, Husk had to admit that Angel could be decent company. Not that he’d say it out loud.

-

It had been a few months. Angel was a regular at the bar by now. He showed up every week, usually Thursdays. He said he had work on Fridays and Saturdays, otherwise he’d show up then, but Husk didn’t mind. Thursday was a less busy day anyways. He could focus more on their conversations.

Like now.

“The guy didn’t even tip me well, which was fucking bullshit. I went above and beyond.” Angel said, leaning his face on his hand with a sigh, “I guess that’s what I get for just assuming the guy has money.”

“I mean, to be fair, he probably did.” Husk replied, working on someone’s drink.

Angel sighed again, slipping his head from his hand and onto the bar dramatically, “Then he shoulda’ fucking showed it.”

Their conversations were usually just exchanging stories about work, weird customers and asshole coworkers. Of course, that wasn’t all they were.

Later on that night, people started to leave, Husk himself was tired, he was eager to close the bar down, but Angel seemed to be going strong.

When they were the only ones left, Husk wondered if Angel even noticed.

“It’s getting late.” He said, “You got anywhere to be in the morning?”

Angel chuckled, his grip on the glass in his hand tightening. “What, you trying to get rid a’ me?”

“No. It’s just late.” Husk replied.

He noticed Angel’s smile falter, and when he looked at his hand that didn’t hold the glass, he noticed how shaky it had gotten.

Husk leaned on the bar, placing a hand over Angel’s hand that was gripping the glass. Angel looked up at him, and Husk could see how vulnerable he was in that moment.

“You okay?” He asked.

Angel’s gaze flickered down to their hands, and he slowly let go of the glass, before properly taking Husk’s hand. Husk tried not to wince at how tight Angel’s grip was.

“I just…” He cleared his throat, “I had a bad day at work, and I don’t wanna go back.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

Angel chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor behind it. “Nah, it’s just the usual shit. The boss being a dick, asshole customers, y’know.”

“You’ve dealt with that before, it looks like this was worse than the usual.” Husk replied, squeezing Angel’s hand, “If you don’t want to talk about it, I get it.”

Angel took a deep breath, and Husk saw tears in his eyes. One fell from his face, and Husk raised his other hand to wipe it away. Angel flinched for a moment, before he relaxed, realizing what Husk was doing.

That was weird.

When he moved his hand back, Husk felt something on his thumb. It felt kind of liquidy. He wasn’t sure how to properly describe it. Looking at it, he saw that spot on his thumb was a darker shade than it had been before.

It was the same shade as Angel’s face.

It was makeup.

He looked back up at Angel, seeing where he’d accidentally wiped the makeup away. It looked darker, almost bruised.

Husk’s expression darkened, and Angel kept his gaze down, staring at the bar, knowing that Husk had seen.

“What happened?”

Angel took a shaky breath. “I fucked up my performance. Boss taught me a lesson.”

Husk tried not to react too angrily, not wanting to freak Angel out.

“You’re not a kid. You shouldn’t be punished for messing up.” Husk eventually said.

“Mista’ Val would disagree with you.”

Husk sharply inhaled through his nose, “I assume it wouldn’t be as easy as just quitting.”

“God, I _wish_ it was that easy.” Angel laughed, “If I could, I’d have left years ago!”

He looked down again, running a finger through the water on the bar left over from condensation from his glass.

“But I’m fuckin’ stuck here.”

Husk just squeezed his hand again, offering silent comfort.

Eventually the silence became a bit too much, and the conversation changed to something a bit more lighthearted, though Angel did leave not too much later.

Husk couldn’t help but feel worried. But he let him go anyway, it wasn’t like there was much he could do.

By now they had a sort of companionship. Even Husk couldn’t deny that they were friends, as much as he’d “hate” to admit it.

-

Angel hadn’t shown up.

It was almost midnight, and Angel still was MIA.

  
Of course, this wasn’t the first time Angel hadn’t made it, but other times he’d usually text Husk to tell him.

Yes, he had Angel’s number. Don’t read into it.

Normally, Husk would keep the bar open for a few more hours, but nobody was there anymore tonight, and Angel wasn’t there, so there was no use in staying open. So he began to shut down.

As he was finishing up, getting his bag and his keys from the back room to lock the place up, he received a text. Not many people texted him, so he could figure out who it was.

Opening the message, he was indeed right.

It was Angel.

The message was a picture of Angel. Husk couldn’t figure out where he was from the background, but it was obvious that Angel didn’t want to be there. To a stranger, it might not have been obvious, but Husk knew the guy. He knew the tells.

Angel smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and even just looking at him it was obvious he was tired. He didn’t have a shirt on, and there seemed to be a pink light or something out of the frame, as Angel was enveloped in the color.

He was at a club, probably.

Angel was making a peace sign in the photo. Husk’s blood ran cold when he saw it.

To any normal person, that gesture meant nothing. But to Husk, it meant something was wrong.

When their friendship had taken a turn into more personal territory, they’d established a code. So that things like that first time Angel had gone to the bar wouldn’t happen again. A quick gesture Angel could give Husk to tell him to help get him away from whoever he was with.

And that gesture was a peace sign.

Immediately Husk knew something was wrong.

There was a message attached to the image, which read, **sorry I couldn’t show up, got called in for work.**

Husk typed out a reply.

**Where are you?**

To anyone else, it wouldn’t make much sense. But between the peace sign, and Angel’s tired expression, and the message, Husk couldn’t help but think that this might’ve been Angel asking for help.

He grabbed his keys, and finished locking up the bar as he waited for a response, and as he got in his car and started the ignition, he finally got one. It was an address, one Husk wasn’t familiar with. He put it into his phone’s GPS, and started driving.

As he got closer, he couldn’t help but find the area... concerning. He’d been there maybe once, passing through. He knew about the businesses that ran along this street. He knew who basically owned the place. Though Husk didn’t know him personally, he doubted anyone was unfamiliar with him.

Not like he wanted to be.

He couldn’t help but feel on edge knowing that Angel apparently worked in this area. He didn’t know why he was surprised though, he knew enough about Angel’s job that it made sense that he’d work here.

He checked his phone as he neared the place, where he saw another text from Angel: **go to the back, ill meet ya there.**

So he did. Husk drove to the back, and parked the car against the curb, the passenger side being closer to the building. He waited for a few minutes, and when he was about to text Angel asking where he was, a window opened.

Said window was obviously on the second floor, which was the first concerning thing. Then, he saw Angel, climbing out, the second concerning thing. Then, Angel let himself fall from the window, on to a bush, the third concerning thing.

Angel got up and brushed himself off, seemingly unaffected. Husk guessed the worst thing he’d have was a few scratches. It wasn’t like it’d be hard, looking at Angel’s apparel. He had on nothing but short, skintight, pink shorts, and black thigh high boots. Husk had seen the boots before, Angel wore those pretty often, but he’d never seen the shorts.

Angel spotted the car, and his expression visibly brightened. Husk couldn’t help but feel a bit happy.

 _No, squash that feeling. Shove it in the back of your mind and deal with it never_.

Angel started to walk towards the car, rushing to get there, when the actual back door opened.

Out stepped a man, one that Husk immediately recognized.

He was on the taller side, taller than Angel, which was a feat in itself, and he wore a red jacket with fur lining it. Said fur had heart designs on it, and he wore a pair of heart sunglasses to go with it.

Kinda tacky, in Husk’s opinion.

The man, _Valentino_ , walked over to Angel angrily, and even though Angel tried to rush away, he seemed just as quick, grabbing the younger man’s wrist and pulling him towards him.

Angel struggled to get away, almost flailing, as he tried to push and pull, anything to loosen his grip. Struggling wasn’t getting him anywhere.

He tried to push Valentino to the ground, and pull away then, but Val just flipped them over, continuing to try to hold Angel down. He struggled more.

Valentino’s grasp on one of Angel’s hands slipped, and Angel pulled it free, immediately trying to push Valentino away. His chest, his face, anything he could to get him away.

And that’s where he fucked up.

He swiped at Val’s face, and knocked off his sunglasses in the process.

The air was tense, it felt like time froze for a moment, you could hear a pin drop.

Valentino’s expression morphed from anger to pure rage, and Angel nearly feared for his life. He struggled more, managing to flip Val over again. He kicked him where it hurt, getting his other hand free, and he stood up, nearly rushing to get away.

But before he could, a hand wrapped around his ankle, and pulled him back down and towards the man on the ground.

Angel was pulled back underneath Valentino, and Husk couldn’t hear, but he knew Valentino was saying something. Angel seemed terrified. He was nearly frozen in place, and when Valentino slapped Angel on the face, Husk had to resist the urge to get out of the car and attempt to beat his ass.

It seemed like Angel was pleading with him. Again, Husk couldn’t hear it, but he could tell. It was obvious Valentino wasn’t convinced.

Angel unfroze when Valentino grabbed his arms, hoisting him up. He began to struggle again, and Husk could hear him repeatedly shouting “No!”

Somehow, Angel managed to push against Valentino’s chest hard enough to get away from him, likely adrenaline or something, and suddenly Angel was pointing a handgun at him.

He hadn’t had that before.

Valentino said something, Angel replied, and both continued to stand there. Angel’s chest was heaving, and Husk could see the attempt at an intimidating expression on the younger man’s face. It wasn’t very convincing, though, seeing as he was practically shaking.

Valentino said another thing, taking a step forward. Angel took a step back, replying, again.

And then Valentino rushed forward, Angel taking quick steps back, only for the sound of a gunshot to go off. Valentino froze, and Husk saw a white undershirt that had been revealed in his scuffle with Angel start to stain red, with blood.

It seemed to go in slow motion, as Valentino fell to the ground.

Husk looked at Angel, who stared with wide eyes, obviously in shock. He looked down at the gun, as if he was suddenly aware of what it really was, before fiddling with it for a moment. Husk couldn’t see it from the distance.

And then Angel walked over to Valentino, placing the gun in his hand. Or, more like wrapping the almost limp hand around the gun.

What was he doing? Husk didn’t think he knew.

Angel turned around, heading to the car on shaky legs. Husk made sure it was unlocked.

And then a gunshot rang out.

Angel looked behind him, startled. Valentino glared at him from where he laid, the gun pointed in Angel’s general direction.

He rushed to the car after that, afraid of what could happen. He got to the door, starting to open it, when another gunshot rang out.

Both Husk and Angel froze, as Angel cried out in pain.

Husk rushed to get to the passenger door, opening it. He saw Angel there, about to fall over. He grabbed Angel’s shoulders, pulling him into the car. Angel got in the rest of the way, seeming aware enough to do that, and Husk slammed the door closed, before rushing out of there.

About a minute later, when they were finally a street or two away, Husk pulled over, immediately taking off his jacket, and turning to Angel to see what the _fuck_ just happened.

Angel got the memo, pointing to his leg, where Husk now saw a bleeding wound. He tied his jacket around it, hoping to stop the bleeding at least temporarily.

“What were you thinking?!” He yelled.

Angel flinched back, almost completely against the door.

Husk’s expression softened, and he rested a hand on the center console. An offer of comfort, if Angel wanted it.

“Sorry.” He said.

He began to drive again, heading for a much more familiar part of town.

“Where are we going?” Angel asked, nearly a whisper. If things weren’t so quiet, Husk likely wouldn’t have heard him.

“I’m taking you to my place. I’ve got a first aid kit and I know a thing or two about how to clean up injuries.”

Angel nodded, and Husk knew that he was definitely not okay. Normally he would’ve made an innuendo of some sort.

Things were quiet again, and Angel took a deep breath, getting his bearings. He looked over at Husk’s hand, still there on the center console. He took it, nearly gripping it like a lifeline.

Now that the shock and adrenaline were wearing off, Angel could feel the pain starting to really set in and _wow_ , that really hurt. As it started getting stronger, he almost felt weaker too, likely also from the adrenaline wearing off.

They finally arrived at the apartment, and Husk stepped out of the car. Angel mentally prepared himself to stand up, but as he was about to open the door, Husk opened it for him.

Angel turned to Husk, surprised, when suddenly he was being picked up, bridal style.

_Oh._

Angel didn’t know Husk was strong enough to do that.

Husk managed to walk up a flight of stairs, still carrying Angel. He normally would’ve tried not to focus on that, to avoid getting flustered (because ew, feelings). But right now he was trying to not focus on the fact that he’d just gotten shot, so he didn’t mind getting flustered being his distraction.

It wasn’t until Husk got to the door that he hesitated, and Angel realized it’d be hard for him to open the door while carrying him.

“You can put me down, y’know.” He mumbled.

Husk shook his head, trying not to freak out about how Angel sounded like he was about to pass out at any moment. “Nah. You just got shot in the leg, I’m not making you stand on it.”

He adjusted his hold on Angel, taking his keys out of his pocket. It took him a few moments, but he managed to unlock and open the door.

Angel didn’t get much of a look around Husk’s apartment as he was carried inside, a bit too preoccupied with the pain he was feeling. _Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow_...

Husk walked over to the sofa in his living room, putting Angel down on it. He saw Angel grimace.

“Thanks.” The younger man said weakly.

“Don’t thank me yet.” Husk replied, before walking out of the room, through the door that led to his bedroom

For a moment, Angel wanted to reach out to him, to ask him to stay, but he got a grip of himself. Husk was probably going to get that first aid kit he’d mentioned.

Husk was indeed going to get his first aid kit. He rummaged around in his room, trying to find it.

It turned out to be haphazardly shoved under his bed. He guessed the last time he’d used it was likely to find some painkillers. It had probably been that one time he’d run out of what he usually used to help with a hangover. He barely remembered, it had been a little while ago.

He grabbed the entire kit, not sure what he’d need. When he stepped back outside of the room, Angel’s eyes were closed, and his breathing was steadier.

He was passed out.

Husk immediately panicked, rushing over to Angel and quickly untying his jacket from the wound, only to see that not much more blood had been lost.

Okay. _Okay_. So maybe he was just passed out from the pain. That was something that happened, right? If he thought about it hard enough, Husk had definitely passed out from pain before. Right? Right. Okay. So Angel wasn’t possibly dying from blood loss.

Okay.

He could do this.

-

When Angel opened his eyes, the first thing he was aware of was Husk, who seemed to be wrapping up his leg.

“Husk?” He asked, his voice sounding groggy.

Husk looked up at him, his face lighting up as soon as they made eye contact, though he immediately tried to cover it up.

“Yeah?” He replied. Not even an idiot would be unable to hear the relief in his voice.

Angel smiled weakly. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Husk echoed back, turning back to Angel’s leg as he finished bandaging it.

Angel started to wake up a bit more, becoming more aware of his surroundings.

“How long was I out?”

Husk patted down the bandages, seeming to be making sure they were secure, before he sighed, turning to Angel.

“I’d have to guess maybe half an hour.”

Angel nodded, “Well, at least I didn’t have to be awake to see whatever you did.”

“I actually didn’t have to do much,” Husk shuffled over, closer to his face, “You’re lucky that the bullet just grazed your leg. I did have to give you a few stitches, but that was about all.”

“Eh, better than I’ve dealt with before.”

“What, ya’ been shot before?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds, before Angel shrugged, trying to sit up, “It’s been a while, though. I definitely don’t miss the feeling.”

“That makes sense.” Husk replied, attempting to help Angel sit up, taking a hold of his shoulders.

They sat like that for a bit, just looking at each other.

Husk’s eyes were a light shade of brown. It was a detail Angel hadn’t noticed before. He wondered if they changed to a honey color in the light. Whether or not they did, they were beautiful.

Angel leaned forward, connecting their lips.

Husk startled for a second, before he relaxed, closing his eyes. Of course, Angel, realizing what he’d just done, pulled away before Husk could return the kiss, looking panicked.

He couldn’t believe he just did that.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry I should’ve asked first, I-”

Husk pulled Angel back to him, kissing him once again. This time it was Angel’s turn to freeze, before he sighed, and began to kiss back. Their lips were unfamiliar territory, but quickly they got the hang of it.

That kiss only lasted a few seconds longer, before the two pulled away, their faces were still close together.

“Thanks.” Angel said.

“Huh?” Was all Husk replied with.

Angel chuckled, “Thanks for making sure I didn’t bleed to death.”

“Oh, yeah. Um, no prob.” Husk said, pulling away.

Angel frowned as he watched Husk walk away, worried he’d just fucked up. Those worries were put to rest when he heard the sound of a fridge opening and clinking glasses, and Husk came back to the living room with a glass of water and a plate.

He handed Angel the plate first, which had a cookie on it. Angel raised an eyebrow.

“I’m pretty sure when you lose blood you’re supposed to have something sugary. I don’t know how much blood you lost but better safe than sorry.” Husk explained.

Angel shrugged, taking a bite of the cookie. It was good, if a bit stale. Then again, a lot of sweets were good in Angel’s opinion. Could you blame him? It was no secret that he had a sweet tooth. He took another bite, and then another, and the next thing he knew he’d eaten the majority of the cookie.

After taking the last bite, Angel nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Husk handed him the water, and Angel took a sip from the glass, before gulping down the rest of it as he realized how thirsty he was.

He wiped at his mouth as Husk took the glass and plate from him, walking back down the hall that led to the kitchen before returning.

Angel tried to change his seating position again, and Husk immediately rushed to try to help, only for Angel to stop him.

“I can do this myself, babe, I’m not helpless.”

Husk frowned, but nodded. He stood up properly again, about to walk away, when Angel patted the spot next to where he sat. Husk seemed to contemplate for a moment, before he gave in, sitting next to Angel.

“There anything good on that TV?” Angel asked.

Husk made a noncommittal hum, “If you look enough you’ll probably find a shitty reality show or something.”

Angel grinned, leaning forward to grab the remote from the small table in front of the couch, only for Husk to get it for him. He received an exasperated look for it, but then Angel turned back to the TV, turning it on and flipping through channels for probably five minutes straight.

Eventually, he settled on a channel that was showing a reality TV show, and he seemed to be watching it with interest.

Husk didn’t give a shit about the show, but Angel was entertained, so he supposed that meant something.

Angel leaned on Husk’s shoulder, and Husk could feel him fidgeting with his hand. He didn’t comment. He pretended that he wasn’t still thinking about how Angel had just kissed him minutes before.

Every now and then, Angel would laugh, or comment on the show. It was almost always exasperated, which made sense, the people in this show were incredibly dumb.

The episode ended and a commercial break started when Husk realized how late it probably was.

He heard Angel yawn next to him, and knew he wasn’t the only one.

“What time is it?” Angel asked.

Husk took his phone out of his pocket. It was around half past 1 in the morning.

“1:30.” He said.

“I’m guessing it’s bedtime, then?” Angel asked.

Husk shrugged, starting to get up.

As he walked down the hall, opening a closet to get out a blanket, Angel heard him speak.

“You can sleep in my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch.” Husk said.

Angel scoffed, “Why not share it with me, Husky?”

Husk didn’t reply, and Angel chuckled, “What, do I have cooties?”

Like hell he had cooties. Angel knew Husk didn’t think so, Husk had fucking kissed him back.

He’d actually been a pretty good kisser, too. Angel wondered if they could do it again sometime.

“No.” Angel heard Husk sigh, “I just figured you’d be more comfortable alone.”

“Eh, I don’t really care. Besides, I’ve always wondered what you’re like in bed.” Angel said, his voice dipping into a purr at the end.

“It’s not fucking like that!” Husk exclaimed, and Angel started laughing, “You say shit like that and I’ll just let ya’ sleep on the fucking couch!”

“I’m just pulling ya’ leg, Husky, calm down.” Angel said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

He heard Husk grumbling.

“Look, if it really is that big of a deal, I’ll just go with your original sleeping plan.” Angel said.

“But I can’t help but wonder if you’re a good cuddle buddy.”

“That’s fucking stupid.” He heard Husk mumble.

“Or like, what if I wake up and something’s wrong with my leg? Will I be able to walk over to the door to get you from the living room?” It was a weak excuse and he knew it, but now Angel was dead set on sharing that damned bed with Husk.

He heard Husk sigh, before hearing the door to the closet in the hall close. Husk walked to the end of the hall, crossing his arms when he got to the end of it, and back in Angel’s vision. Angel just gave him a flirty smile.

Husk scoffed and walked over to him, bending down to be eye level with Angel again. Angel was about to say something snarky when Husk lifted him in his arms again, his initial statement cutting off into a squeak.

He was carried into the other room, and Angel couldn’t help but find it amusing that normally when he was being carried into a bedroom, it was to do anything but sleep.

How funny that the one guy he actually had an interest in sleeping with for free wanted to do nothing more than _actually_ sleep.

It was kind of nice, though. Husk didn’t spend time with him to try to get into his pants. It was a refreshing change from all the schmucks at work.

Husk put Angel down on to the bed, and Angel made himself comfortable, slipping underneath the blankets, while Husk grabbed something from what looked like a dresser and walked into a room off to the side, the bathroom.

A few minutes passed, and Husk walked out again, now wearing a different shirt and some shorts, obviously much more comfortable pajamas. On his way to the bed, he grabbed something else from the dresser, and threw the article of clothing at Angel.

When he picked it up from his lap where it’d fallen, Angel realized he still was wearing nothing but the shorts he’d worn at work. He didn’t have his boots on anymore, but he wasn’t surprised, seeing as Husk had treated a wound on his leg.

Angel put the shirt on, smiling when he realized it was a little big on him, and that it smelled like Husk.

Husk got into bed next to Angel, resting his head on a pillow that suspiciously looked like it belonged on the couch. Angel pulled Husk closer to him, trying to subtly put his pillow underneath both of their heads. Couch pillows were uncomfortable, he knew from experience.

In the dim light of the room, he could barely make out the red flush on Husk’s face, but it was light enough that he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He decided to test this hypothesis further, putting a hand on Husk’s cheek.

Yep, he was definitely blushing. And wow, now Angel was too.

He giggled - fucking giggled. Like a teenager. But he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Leaning up, he pressed a chaste kiss on Husk’s lips, before he curled up, resting his head on Husk’s chest.

“G’night.” He mumbled.

A few moments later, a stunned Husk replied.

“‘Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re not going back.”

Angel frowned. “Why not?”

“You’re still recovering. Do you know how to take care of a bullet wound?” Husk replied from the kitchen.

“Not really…” Angel muttered, before replying, “I can figure it out!”

“Uh huh. Isn’t it just easier to stay here?” Husk said, “Also, you shot Valentino. I doubt he doesn’t know where you live, so it’s probably also safer to stay here in case his people come looking for you.”

“What do you know about ‘his people?’”

“I used to work for the Radio Demon, I’ve had my fair share of scuffles with them.”

Angel’s eyes widened.

“You worked for the Radio Demon?!” He exclaimed, before standing up. He was careful to put more pressure on his uninjured leg, but by now he could walk short distances without being hurt.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, kid.” Husk said, before pausing, noticing Angel’s footsteps, “The fuck are you doing up? Sit back down.”

“Nah,” Angel said as he walked down the hall to reach the doorway that led to the kitchen, “I got tired of yelling. Also, don’t call me ‘kid.’”

Husk sighed, and Angel walked over to him, looking over his shoulder at the stove he was currently making something on.

“Whatcha making?” He asked.

“Pasta. Nothing special.” Was Husk’s reply.

Angel sighed, stepping away and leaning on the counter. “Boring! I betcha I could cook something better.”

“Sure.” Husk replied.

“I can! I’m a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself!”

“Are you now? And what can you make?”

Angel started listing off different recipes he knew off the top of his head. He could tell Husk hadn’t expected him to do that.

“Oh. Okay. I didn’t understand half of that.” Husk said.

Angel laughed.

“But back to the first point, you’re staying here.” Husk got back on track, “I mean, I’m not gonna force you to stay, but you really should, at least while you heal.”

“I know, it’s just boring.” Angel said, “Also you treat me like I’m made of glass. I got shot in the leg, I’m not gonna be broken by the littlest thing.”

“I know.” Husk said.

“Then why do you do that?”

“I mean, if you watched someone you cared about get shot, wouldn’t you be kind of weird about it?”

Angel leaned towards Husk, “Aw, you care about me?”

“Stop deflecting.” Husk said, looking back down at the pot on the stove, his face flushing.

“And yeah. I do.” He muttered shyly.

Angel had to repress a grin, but he couldn’t stop a small smile from slipping out. He stood up normally again, walking over to Husk and bumping his hip against the other man’s.

“Well, good. I care about you too.” He lightly pushed Husk to the side, standing in front of the pot, “Lemme take over for a bit.”

“But-”

“Husk, I’m not gonna get hurt making some pasta.”

Husk grumbled, but leaned against the counter, nodding. He crossed his arms and stared at the tile on the ground.

“I’ll stay with you until I heal, but you gotta stop babying me.” Angel said.

Husk looked over at him, before nodding. “Okay. That’s fair.”

Eventually the pasta was ready, and the two ate on the couch, watching the same channel they’d been watching for the last few days. It played bad reality TV shows at all times, not always the same show, but they were all entertaining. Husk didn’t like it very much, but Angel liked it, so he tolerated it.

As they got comfortable on the couch, finished with their meal, Angel’s phone went off.

Both men froze, and Angel pulled out his phone with noticeably shaky hands.

He relaxed when he saw the contact, and Husk knew it was safe.

Angel stood up, and Husk resisted the urge to help him.

“Hey, babe, what’s up?” Angel said, walking down the hall, going to the kitchen to have at least a bit of privacy.

“ **Angie! How ya’ doing? You excited for tonight?** ” Cherri’s voice said from the other end.

Angel blinked. What was tonight?

 _Oh shit_. He’d planned to go to the club with Cherri tonight.

He grimaced. Yeah, that wasn’t happening with his leg.

“Uh… About that…” He focused his gaze on a clock on the wall that he’d figured out was broken, just to look at something, “I’m not gonna be able to make it.”

“ **What? Why not?** ” Cherri asked, before her voice took a dark turn, “ **If that fucker Valentino did anything, I swear-** ”

“No, not that. Or, kinda. It’s complicated.” Angel said, “But long story short, my leg’s a bit fucked up, and I’m trying to lay low.”

Cherri was quiet for a moment before asking, “ **What the fuck did I miss?** ”

Angel chuckled, and started telling her what happened.

When he finished, he heard Cherri inhale, and he braced himself. He knew what she’d say.

“ **You’re telling me you gave him the gun.** ”

Angel pursed his lips, “Yep.”

“ **What the fuck were you thinking?!** ”

“See, I wasn’t.” Angel said.

“The gun was Val’s, he always has it on him. I think I was scared that someone would find him without it and figure out something happened to him.” Angel said with a shrug, “And I put it in his hand for, I don’t know, fingerprints? Or to make it seem like he did it? I don’t fucking know, I was freaking out.”

He heard Cherri sigh, and counting the seconds, it lasted for almost ten. Angel couldn’t help but laugh.

“I mean, I got shot in the leg for my stupidity, so I think that made up for it.” Angel added.

“ **So, what, you’re staying with Husk now?** ”

Cherri had never formally met Husk, but Angel knew they were both familiar with each other. Angel told Cherri plenty about him, and she happened to be in quite a few of the stories Angel had told Husk. They’d intreracted on Instagram a few times, but that was about all.

“At least until I heal. That’s what we’ve decided.”

“ **He better not be forcing you to stay or anything.** ”

“Nah, he gave me the option to leave. Though he did want me to stay.”

“I guess it makes sense, I can’t exactly take care of a bullet wound that well.” Angel said, “I mean, you know me. I can treat some scratches, but more than that and I forget to do shit.”

Cherri laughed, “ **Oh gosh, yeah. Like that time that fucking Edgelord’s minion guy shanked ya’.** ”

“Ooh, yeah. I remember that.” Angel grimaced, “Wasn’t fun.”

“ **Well, if we can’t go to the club, can I come to you?** ” Cherri asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Sure.” Angel replied, shrugging, “I mean if Husk bitches about it who gives a fuck?”

He did give a fuck. But he knew Husk wouldn’t mind. _Probably._

“ **‘Kay. Send me the address and I’ll be there in a bit!** ”

“You know it.”

“ **See ya’, Angie!** ”

With that, she hung up, and Angel let out a breathy laugh.

He made his way back to the living room. “Cherri’s coming over, if you don’t mind.”

Husk blinked. “Oh. Um… Okay.”

“By the way, what’s your address?” Angel asked, sitting back down next to Husk.

“Why?”

“So that Cherri knows where to go.”

“Oh, yeah.” Husk said, before telling Angel the address.

Angel typed it out, sending it to Cherri.

“Hey, this isn’t too far from where I used to live.” Angel said, “Before I moved out of town for a bit.”

“You lived out of town?”

“Well, duh. I don’t think anyone who’s native to this city has my accent.”

Husk raised an eyebrow, “You know what I meant. You spent some time out of town and then came back?”

“Yep.” Angel said, popping the p, “I mostly came back because Val wanted me too. But I did kinda miss the city. I mean, I definitely missed Cherri.”

“I guess we’re learning shit about each other today, huh?” Husk asked.

“I guess so.” Angel said, before flopping over, to lay his head in Husk’s lap, “By the way, why the fuck did you not tell me you worked for the Radio Demon? What the fuck?”

“It’s really not that interesting. I owed the guy a favor, so I worked for him for a few years.” Husk said, “He’s a dick.”

“You gotta be a dick if you want power here, y’know that.” Angel said.

“Well, yeah, but he was obnoxious.” Husk said, “Not the kind of asshole boss you’d expect. Pretty sure he thinks we’re friends.”

Angel whistled, “Well that’s tough.”

“Eh, he was a better boss than yours was.” Husk said, “I mean, Alastor never would’ve fucking shot me.”

“Yeah, Val’s a pretty shitty boss.” Angel said, frowning.

They sat there for a bit, Husk starting to run his fingers through Angel’s hair. Angel didn’t comment, not wanting Husk to stop. It was nice.

“I wonder what’s gonna happen. I don’t know what to expect.” Angel nearly whispered.

“Maybe he’s dead.”

“I hope so. As shitty as that is to say.”

“No, that’s justified.”

-

Husk couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t like it was the first time, this had happened before. But normally, it was more because he couldn’t close his eyes without his mind filling the blanks with memories of a battlefield. This time, though, he was just restless.

He finally gave in and sat up with a huff, rubbing a hand down his face. He heard a shuffling next to him, and looked over to see Angel turned to his direction, his eyes open.

“Husk?” He asked tiredly, not fully awake yet, “What’s up?”

“Go back to sleep.” Husk replied, his eyes softening, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Angel kept looking at him, before he sat up. He leaned his head on Husk’s shoulder after he did, still tired. Husk smiled fondly at him.

“I’ll only be out for a few minutes.” Husk said.

“Nooo…” Angel whined, latching on to Husk’s arm.

Husk sighed, before he moved to get out of bed anyway, hoping Angel’s grip would loosen.

Indeed it did, but when he was fully standing, he saw Angel looking at him with what could be described as puppy dog eyes.

In the end, Angel got up with Husk, not wanting to be left alone in bed.

Husk’s apartment had a small balcony off the side of the living room. It just faced a ditch, nothing pretty, and Husk only went out there when he needed to smoke. It cleared his head on nights like this.

It felt way different with Angel there, though. It felt intimate, in a way Husk didn’t quite know how to describe.

He lit a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. Angel was sitting on the shitty chair he had out there, continuing to stare at him. But for some reason it didn’t bother him.

Angel’s leg was healing. It was definitely better, he was starting to be able to stand and walk around what would be considered a normal amount, rather than occasionally, and he could put more weight on his leg without it hurting.

Husk still had trouble not doing everything for him, but he was getting better. He just couldn’t help but worry, and at this point he wasn’t even sure if he knew why he was so worried.

He looked away from Angel, looking out to the ditch the balcony was over. It was flooded at the moment, as it had been a bit rainy for the last few days, but right now the weather was clear. Husk could hear the crickets chirping, and there was a nice breeze.

He heard the chair Angel was sitting on creak, and when he looked over, he saw Angel now standing next to him, leaning against the railing. He wasn’t looking at him anymore, now looking out at the ditch as well.

Husk leaned against the railing too, and looked back out.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the night.

Husk took the cigarette out of his mouth to let out a puff of smoke, and suddenly felt it being taken from his hand. He turned to Angel, about to yell, only to find Angel smirking at him, putting the cigarette in his own mouth.

“Sharing is caring, Husky.” Angel said playfully, his voice still rough from sleep.

Husk sighed, but gave in, looking back out again.

After a moment, he felt Angel lean against him, and his hand appeared in Husk’s peripheral view, holding the cigarette. Offering it back.

Husk took it, muttering a “Thanks.”

Angel took it back after a few minutes, before turning to Husk, still leaning against the railing.

Husk looked over at him, and couldn’t help but notice how messy his hair was, still ruffled from sleep, and how he looked over at him with a fondness Husk had seen many times before, that felt more raw and personal this time for some reason.

Angel leaned forward, pausing when their lips were only separated by a few inches. Husk could smell the smoke coming from Angel’s parted lips.

Husk closed the distance, and their lips met. It tasted like cigarettes, a familiar taste that normally would’ve had Angel thinking of Val, but right now all he could think about was _Husk_.

Everything felt intense, in a way Angel hadn’t felt in a long time, even with the work he did. He supposed that should’ve scared him, but he found himself not minding. It was Husk, and Husk was safe.

Funny, how that worked.

The kiss was slow and lazy, both still tired, but their lips moved together comfortably, as if they’d done this a million times before even though they hadn’t.

When they pulled away, they just stood there, their faces still close together as they smelled the remaining smoke from the cigarette in Angel’s hand.

Husk put a hand on Angel’s cheek, and Angel leaned into the touch. He smiled softly, placing a kiss on the younger man’s forehead.

Angel put his free hand on the back of Husk’s head, before pulling him into another kiss. He put out the cigarette on the railing, not really caring at that moment, and tossed it over the side of the balcony, before his now free hand joined the other now tangled in Husk’s hair.

This kiss was much more awake, the two leaning into each other with a heat they hadn’t had before. Husk’s free hand wrapped around Angel’s waist, and pulled him closer, their bodies pressed flush against one another.

Angel deepened the kiss, which got what sounded like a surprised squeak from Husk, before he quickly adjusted, continuing to kiss back.

Husk backed up, and ended up finding himself pressed between a wall and Angel. In normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been a fan. But right now he didn’t mind at all.

They pulled away after a bit more time, and stood there, their foreheads pressed together as they breathed.

“That was nice.” Angel mumbled after a few moments of silence.

Husk couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’d hope it was.”

Angel grinned back at him, about to speak when he was cut off by a yawn.

He sighed, pulling away from the odd embrace before properly hugging Husk and tucking his face into the crook of his neck.

“‘M tired.” He said, his voice muffled.

Husk nodded, “Yeah, me too.”

Angel pulled away from the hug, taking Husk’s hand and going back inside. They went back to the bedroom, and lied back down in bed. Angel put his head on Husk’s chest, and snuggled up to him, receiving an amused sigh.

It only took about 20 minutes before they were both asleep.

-

“Cherri’s here.” Angel said, and Husk sighed.

“Again?” He asked, “She’s been over almost every day.”

“Hey, she’s my best bitch, deal with it.” Angel replied.

Husk sighed again, but didn’t argue. Angel knew he was full of shit, anyway, he didn’t actually dislike Cherri.

Angel made his way from the kitchen to the door, a feat that took only like five steps. The apartment was small, but seeing as Husk had bought it for only him to live in, that made sense.

He opened the door with a grin, where Cherri stood, holding multiple shopping bags Angel recognized. He often kept old shopping bags he’d get, and he’d definitely seen those in his house.

His eyes widened. “You _didn’t_.” He said.

Cherri nodded, “I did.”

“Oh! You’re the best, I love you!” Angel said, bouncing in place before hugging Cherri.

She laughed, returning the hug with an amused “I love you too,” before walking into the apartment.

“I brought some shit over from Angie’s apartment.” Cherri called out, mostly to Husk, “I figured he’d probably like some of his own clothes.”

Angel had been wearing Husk’s clothes since he’d started staying with him. They were a little big on him, which he didn’t mind, but he did have to admit he missed some of his own cute outfits.

“You are the best friend a bitch could ask for.” Angel said, receiving another laugh from Cherri.

“Uh-huh. Now take your fucking clothes.” She handed the bags to Angel, who took them gratefully, “What’s for dinner? I don’t have shit and I don’t wanna go grocery shopping.”

Husk sighed, opening the fridge to grab another beer. _He’d need it_.

“We’re ordering pizza tonight.” Angel said, before very pointedly calling out, “Or at least I think we should!”

“Jesus, I said we could, shut up!” Husk yelled in reply, getting a snicker from Angel.

“Aight. I like pizza.” Cherri said, heading to the couch before sitting down on it, making herself at home, “I’ll stay for dinner. Thanks for inviting me.”

“We didn’t invite you.” Husk said as he joined them in the living room.

Angel dramatically gasped, “Husk! Is that any way to treat a _guest_?!”

Husk smirked, the closest thing Angel could get when they had company. He deemed it a success.

“What shit TV show is on right now?” Cherri asked, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

Some reality TV show was playing, and it was the middle of an episode, so they didn’t know the name.

“Eh, this will do.” Cherri said with a shrug.

Angel went into the bedroom, placing the bags down, deciding he’d go through them later, before joining Cherri on the couch. He sat down in between her and Husk, as they both sat on opposite sides of the couch.

“Did anybody order that pizza?” He asked after a few minutes.

“You wanted it so bad, you order it.” Husk said, staring at the TV. Angel could tell that he was occupied with the show that was on.

Angel smirked, “Are you enjoying the show?”

“No.”

“Uh huh.”

Angel heard Cherri quietly laughing next to him.

“I’m not-” Husk started, before being interrupted by Angel.

“Well, I’d better go order that pizza.” Angel said, giving Husk a peck on the cheek before standing up and going down the hall, typing out the number of a pizza place that was down the street.

He could hear Cherri laugh harder, and could hear Husk’s stammering in response. He smiled.

-

Angel was awoken by pounding on the door. He groaned, feeling Husk shuffle in the bed next to him, before he started to get up.

He rubbed at his eyes as he looked for the sweatpants he’d been wearing the night before. He always ran a bit warm, so he often slept without pants, and last night he’d been too tired to get out of bed when he realized he’d still had them on, so he just threw them on the floor.

The knocking still hadn’t ceased. Husk gave him a quick side hug and kissed his temple, before walking out of the room, going to see who was at the door.

Angel finally found his pants - they’d been under the bed - and put them on before also leaving the room, only to hear hushed voices coming from the hallway that led to the front door. He could easily hear Husk’s voice, and the person he was talking to sounded like Cherri.

“The fuck is going on?” He asked tiredly, walking over to them.

By now his leg was almost healed, he could walk and stand normally, he just couldn’t run for very long or otherwise strain himself. It was nice, not having to be aware of how much he stood or walked. He was getting tired of mostly sitting on the couch.

“Valentino’s people are looking for you.” Cherri said.

Angel froze.

He didn’t know why he was surprised. It made sense that this was going to happen. He guessed he thought it wouldn’t be so soon? But it had already been a little while, so it also made sense that it was happening now.

“Really?” Angel asked, trying to appear calm, “Are they looking for me to do my job or because they know about what happened?”

He knew why they were looking for him. But he could at least try to seem at least kind of normal.

Cherri shuffled in, closing the door behind her, and the three moved away from the door. Husk went into the kitchen, likely getting something to drink or a snack for Angel. Cherri went into the living room, and sat down on the couch. Angel followed her, but he stayed standing, not knowing if he could relax enough to sit down.

Husk walked into the living room, a can of beer in one hand and an apple in the other. He handed Angel the apple, and opened the can before sitting on the other end of the couch. It was closer to where Angel was standing, and Angel appreciated Husk being closer.

“What happened?” Husk asked, after he took a sip of his beer.

“Valentino’s body was found, probably a little while ago by now, and they’ve been searching and trying to figure out who did it. I guess they figured out it was you, Angel.” Cherri replied, “They came by my place asking where you were, and I could tell they’d been to your apartment first.”

“What did you tell them?” Angel asked, staring at the apple in his hand that he had yet to take a bite out of.

“I told them I didn’t know.” Cherri said, “I tried to wait as long as I could after they left to not seem suspicious, but I had to come here to tell you. I mean, if I called you there’s a chance that they could get the call or something.”

“Wait, they can do that?” Husk asked.

Angel shrugged, “I mean, with Vox and Velvet it’s better safe than sorry.”

“Good point.”

They sat in silence, Husk taking another sip as Angel finally took a bite out of his apple.

He was fucked. His life was over, he could kiss everything he knew goodbye. And he thought he’d finally found his place. Sure, Val was… well, Val was horrible, but it was a price to pay for an overall decent life.

Okay, decent was an overstatement, but Angel had managed to get comfortable. He was _used_ to this. But now, unless he wanted to get killed - or worse - by Vox and Velvet, everything would have to change.

Sure, he knew that this was going to happen, but he hadn’t really thought about it that much until now.

Angel took a shaky breath.

“What should I do?” He asked quietly.

Husk looked up at him, and seeing his nervous expression, placed his hand on the arm of the sofa. An offer, if Angel wanted it. He got the memo, and he took Husk’s offered hand without comment.

Cherri shrugged, “I think the only thing you _can_ do is get out of town.”

Angel sighed. He knew it.

“Do you have a place to stay? At least until this blows over. Then maybe we can figure out what to do from there.” Husk said.

Wait a second…

“‘We?’” Angel asked, looking at Husk with a raised eyebrow.

Husk just looked away, and Angel noticed a small blush on his face. He smiled.

“Eh, if you wanna come I won’t stop you.” He said, trying to not sound too happy, “I could use the company.”

Husk nodded, looking back at Angel.

“Well, is there somewhere you can go, Angie?” Cherri asked.

Angel furrowed his eyebrows. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out if he did.

He was not gonna go to his family. That was off the table. That was the only thing he could think of. Where else could-

 _Wait_.

“I think I have an idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Where do y'all think they're gonna go? I already have it planned but I'm wondering what you guys think.


	3. Chapter 3

"You got a burner phone?"  
"Yep."  
"You got cash?"

"Yep."

"You know where you'll be staying the night?"

"Yes, _mom_."

Cherri sighed, "I'm just concerned. I wanna make sure you're prepared."

"I know." Angel said, pulling her into a hug, "And I am. Trust me."

"Anything he might've forgotten I brought, and he remembered almost everything." Husk said.

"Look, I'm used to sleeping in cars when travelling, I'm not used to booking motels or some shit like that." Angel replied, turning towards the other man.

Husk scoffed, "Well, good thing I did it for you."

Cherri pulled Angel back into another hug, squeezing him as hard as she could.

"You better stay out of trouble, Angie." She said.

Angel smiled, not even really minding the tight hug, "You know it, Sugartits."

With that, she pulled away from the hug, and Angel walked over to where Husk stood by the car. Cherri waved at them as they got in on both sides, and she stood on the sidewalk in front of the parking lot until the car was gone.

-

"You made sure to warn the people we're staying with, right?"

Angel cursed, snapping his fingers, "That's what I was gonna do."

"Then you'd better do it now, before it's too late." Husk replied.

It was the evening, the sky had only recently gone dark before they'd left. And now they were going to be on the road for a good few days at least, maybe longer, to get to some place on the other side of the country. Though, tonight, they'd stop at some motel in a few hours.

Angel took out the burner phone he'd bought, and dialed the number he'd memorized a few years back, for emergency situations just like this.

After a few rings, somebody picked up. It was a voice he didn't recognize.

" **Hello, this is the-** "

"Is Charlie or Vaggie there?" Angel asked, interrupting.

He heard a sigh, " **Yes, give me a minute, please.** "

After a few moments of waiting, the phone picked up again. A much more familiar, cheerful voice answered this time. In the background he heard the shuffling of papers, accompanied by the muttering of another familiar voice.

" **Hello? Charlie Magne speaking.** "

"Hey, toots."

He heard a gasp, and had to stifle a laugh.

" **Angel?!** "

He heard the muttering and paper shuffling stop, and the person who'd been muttering asking in a quiet voice, " **Angel?** "

"Yep, it's me." He said.

" **Oh my gosh, how have you been? It's been so long!** " Charlie said excitedly, " **Did something happen? You haven't called in a while!** "

Angel cringed before he sighed, "Yeah, uh, something did happen. Long story short, do you girls mind if I crash with you?"

" **Wait, what? What happened?** " Charlie replied, " **Give me a sec, I'm putting you on speaker. Vaggie's here too.** "

"Hi, Vags." Angel said, "Like I said before, it's a long story. I'd rather explain when I get to ya'."

" **Why can't you tell us now?** " Vaggie asked.

"Um, let's just say I did something good but bad and now I'm in trouble." Angel said.

" ** _Angel_** **.** " Charlie scolded.

"I said it was good! And it was to save my sorry ass, and also it prolly helped lots of other people." Angel said, defending himself, "I'm just not exactly safe staying in town anymore."

" **Why aren't you safe?** " Vaggie asked.

"Full of questions, arentcha, babe?" Angel said, "I got an overlord or two after my ass now. That's why."

" **Oh**."

Both women were familiar with overlords in the city. Charlie had been born and raised there, and Vaggie had moved there in her teens. That had been when the two women had met.

Of course, then they'd tried to open a hotel to rehabilitate criminals and "troubled people." It didn't get much traction in the city, but when a mysterious guy from out of state offered to help them with their business, they moved it, leaving the city in the process.

It was right before they'd moved that Angel had met them. They'd just wanted one person to be a part of their program, just to show that it worked, and had found Angel. He'd only joined because he was low on money and needed a place to stay. He could only suck the landlord's dick so many times before he'd get evicted.

That had been why he'd left the city for some time. He'd been there for about a year, finally leaving when they finally got someone else rehabilitated. He no longer had to be their spokesperson.

Angel was willing to stay, honestly. He'd gotten comfortable at the hotel. But Val had told him to move back to town, and Angel no longer had an excuse. It wasn't like he would be rehabilitated any time soon.

When he'd left, they'd made sure he knew he was welcome back, and that he could call at any time. They cared about him, and all that. He called a few times just to catch up, but as the hotel gained traction, and Angel's life went on in the city, they lost touch. That had been a few years ago.

The last time they'd talked had actually been about two years ago, when their business partner had walked out and left them to manage the place alone. But they apparently had a new partner now? He didn't exactly know a lot, he only _kind of_ stalked their social media.

But now Angel figured this would be his best bet if he wanted to lay low. It wasn't like Valentino had even cared to know the location of the hotel, let alone Vox and Velvet. It was the safest option, besides going back to his family. And he wouldn't do that if his life depended on it.

"Yep." Angel said, "I'm in deep shit and need to lay low. They don't know where you guys are, so I figured it'd be safe to hide with you for a bit."

" **Okay, that makes sense.** " Charlie said, " **What did you do, anyway?** "

"And that's what I'll tell ya' in person." Angel said, "It's just easier to explain then and I don't have the energy to get into it right now."

" **Fair enough.** " Charlie said.

" **When should we expect you to come?** " Vaggie added.

"A few days to a week. Depends on if there's anyone on our trail or if anything happens." Angel said.

" **'Our?'** "

"Oh, yeah, I'm bringing company." Angel said, before putting the phone on speaker, "Say hi, Husky."

"Fuck off." Husk replied gruffly, keeping his eyes on the road.

" **Charming.** " Vaggie said after a moment.

"I know, he has a way with words." Angel said, taking the phone off speaker.

" **That's one way to put it.** "

Angel laughed, "Yeah."

" **Well, we were finishing up some paperwork for a new patron, so we should really be going.** " Charlie said, getting an agreement from Vaggie, " **We'll see you soon!** "

"See ya', Princess." Angel said.

With that, they hung up.

"You seem real chummy." Husk said, "Who was that?"

"Just some broads I know from my time out of town." Angel said, "There's not too much of a story, at least not one I think is interesting."

Husk shrugged, "Alright then."

They sat in silence for maybe a total of five seconds, before Angel started messing with the radio.

"I'm bored, any good music on?"

-

Angel felt himself being shaken, and as he opened his eyes, he realized he'd fallen asleep.

"Come on, we're at the motel." Husk said, now at the car's side, the door open next to him.

Angel blinked a few times, before he stretched out as much as he could with a yawn. He got out of the car, Husk stepping back to give him some space, and stretched again.

"So we are." He said.

They walked into the main building, and Husk did most of the talking, which Angel appreciated in his groggy state. They got the room key easily enough, and made their way to said room.

One of the first things Angel noticed was the number of beds. Or, the fact that there was only one.

"One bed?" Angel asked with a smirk, "How forward."

Husk rolled his eyes, his face flushing, "We already normally share a bed. I figured it'd be cheaper."

Angel chuckled, pecking Husk's cheek before walking over to the bed and sitting down.

Husk put down the bag he'd brought in with him, which contained a change of clothes for both of them and some other basic things they'd need.

When he looked back over at Angel, he saw the other man - now with his shoes off - trying to take off his shirt, so that he was just in his black skirt.

"What are you doing?" Husk asked.

"Getting comfy. I'm going to sleep." Angel replied, still struggling to get the shirt off.

 _Fair enough_.

Husk walked over to him, before removing Angel's hands from where they were awkwardly grabbing at the bottom of the shirt. He grasped at the end of it, before carefully slipping it off of Angel's torso, unlike what Angel had been trying.

Angel took the shirt from his hands, smiling up at him from where he sat.

"Thanks." He said, before pecking him on the lips.

Husk might as well had short circuited, freezing. His face felt warm, and he just stared for a moment.

"No... no problem." He finally stammered out, standing up straight again and looking away, rubbing the back of his neck.

Angel just chuckled, smiling at him fondly, before he pushed himself back on the bed, laying down with his head on one of the pillows.

He opened his arms and made grabby hands, wanting to cuddle. Husk sighed, but his soft smile gave him away. After he took off his own shoes and changed into more comfortable pants he climbed into bed next to Angel.

The two got under the covers, getting comfortable. Husk turned off the lamp on the bedside table, and the room was shrouded in darkness. He felt Angel cling to his arm, and remembered one time when Angel had told him he didn't like sleeping in unfamiliar places.

He turned to his side, and moved Angel to be turned around too, before putting his arms around Angel's waist. Angel leaned into his chest, taking one of his hands in his own, and they laid like that for some time, easing into a comfortable silence.

The silence was broken by the shuffling of the blankets, as Angel turned over, facing Husk.

Husk cracked an eye open, though he still couldn't see much in the darkness. "What's up, baby?"

The term of endearment slipped out, and if it wasn't for him being half asleep, he would've immediately regretted it. But Angel just buried his face in his chest.

"I'm just thinking." Angel finally replied, his voice muffled, "I haven't really thought about what happened. I've been focused on my leg for the most part. And on you."

"Me?" Husk asked.

"I mean, we were close before, but you gotta admit that things have changed a bit." Angel said.

There was no denying that. Memories of the kisses they'd shared within the last few weeks flew through Husk's head, and he tried to shoo them away, to stay focused on the conversation at hand.

"Not that I mind. I like it." Angel said, "But y'know, it's new. Of course I'm at least a little focused on it. Are you?"

Ah, fuck it, they were getting personal anyway. And also they were tired. Why keep up the act?

"Yeah. I am." Husk said, deciding not to add the " _a lot_ " that his mind provided.

"But I'm just now realizing the impact of what I did." Angel said, "I mean, I killed a fucking _overlord_."

"That you did." Husk said, starting to run his fingers through Angel's hair in that way he'd discovered he liked.

He felt Angel lean into the touch, sighing.

"It's scary." He said, "I mean, he was a pretty powerful one, too. And now his buddies are after me. And they're just as powerful as he was."

"Yeah." Husk replied, "That is pretty fucking scary."

Angel chuckled, though there was no humor behind it. "And I had to pack up my shit and leave so that they wouldn't kill me or do something worse."

Husk nodded. Angel had basically put his life on hold because of this. Sure, Husk had too, but he did it by choice. Angel had no choice.

"That sucks." Husk said, "That's shitty."

He felt Angel nod. "Yeah." He said, his voice cracking.

And if he felt tears on his shirt, he didn't comment. If he pulled Angel's shaking body closer to his in an attempt at comfort, and rubbed his back until his sobs turned into quiet whimpers, he didn't comment. If he murmured soft words and promised him that it would be okay even though he had no actual control of that, he didn't comment.

He was now laying on his back, Angel laying on top of him, his head in the crook of his neck. Husk felt Angel shift, leaning up, before feeling Angel's breath over his lips.

Angel kissed him softly, and Husk returned the kiss, putting one hand on the back of his head. He felt Angel place a hand on his cheek, and pressed into the kiss a bit more.

And if the kiss got more heated within the darkness of the motel room, and the two of them started to do more than just kiss, Husk didn't comment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! How do you think this trip is gonna go? Did you expect them to be going to the hotel? :D


	4. Chapter 4

They woke up a little bit after 10 am, and Husk pretended to ignore all the jokes Angel made as the two of them redressed and got ready to go back on the road.

Their breakfast was a grand meal of Starbucks croissants and coffee. Husk had a plain black coffee, and Angel’s was more sugar than coffee.

At this point, Angel’s jokes were getting annoying. He still was going, and just laughed whenever Husk reacted. And he was getting tired of it.

Angel had just made _another_ joke, and Husk was going to lose his mind.

It seemed that Angel could tell he’d reached the breaking point, because as his laughs calmed down, he spoke.

“Okay, okay, jokes aside, last night was nice.” Angel said earnestly, his face taking a rare flush, “I haven’t had something like that in a while, and… I don’t know. It was nice.”

Husk looked over at him, and saw Angel looking down at his hands, fiddling with the long sleeves of the shirt he was wearing. He had a soft smile on his face and a look in his eyes that both scared Husk and made him want to kiss him silly.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He replied, “It was… nice. Like you said.”

Angel laughed, “I hope so.”

Husk looked back at the road, and felt his gaze soften as he thought about it. Yeah. It had been nice.

He’d imagined what sleeping with Angel would be like before, as much as he’d deny it. And this was so much different than what he’d imagined. But it was so much _better_. It had been almost soft, emotional and sweet. Those were words Husk would’ve never thought he’d be able to use to describe sex.

But look, here he was. Using those words to describe sex.

He heard Angel fiddling with the radio again, and sighed, though he couldn’t bring himself to really be annoyed.

“You might as well just plug your phone in and play your own music.” Husk said after Angel had switched through at least twenty different stations.

Angel looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, before nodding.

Husk ended up having to pull over and show him how to plug in his phone, but once Angel had it figured out he was happy.

And Husk now knew to never let Angel play his own music again. Even if he’d go through every radio station there was, it was better than him playing whatever song he was playing.

Husk tried to tune it out but found it increasingly difficult.

When the horrible song ended, he turned to Angel.

“What the fuck was that?” He asked.

Angel nearly cackled, leaning back in his seat, gripping his sides. Well, he certainly found this funny.

“That was Cupcake, babe.”

Husk already didn’t like this “cupcake.”

He narrowed his eyes, “Please don’t play that song again.”

Angel just smirked, before pressing a button on his phone.

Only for the same song to start all over again.

Husk groaned loudly, turning the volume all the way down on the radio.

“No. Stop it.” He said.

“Aw, why?” Angel replied, fake innocence obvious in his voice.

Husk looked at him with a deadpan expression. “Do I really need to explain?”

Angel tried to maintain an expression of mock innocence, but he couldn’t, breaking down into laughter again.

“Look, I’ll let ya’ have control of the music. But please don’t play shit like that.” Husk said once Angel calmed down.

“Fair enough.” Angel replied, laughter still evident in his voice.

Angel pressed some buttons, typing something and scrolling through whatever he used to listen to music, before a new song started playing. It was better, the lyrics weren’t obscene, which was nice, but it was what Husk could imagine hearing at one of those clubs he found to be too much.

“The fuck kind of music is this?” Husk asked.

“It’s a song Cherri made, actually.” Angel replied, his voice a little stiff, even though he looked perfectly normal.

Well, okay. Better than Cupcake.

-

They were sitting at a diner, eating lunch. Husk hadn’t wanted to stop anywhere, but Angel kept annoying him until he just gave in. So here they were, eating some burgers in a booth as they talked.

Angel asked something, but Husk couldn’t understand what he’d said, his words muffled by the food in his mouth.

Husk quirked an eyebrow, and Angel swallowed said food with a smirk that Husk ignored, before repeating himself.

“Do you think I should dye my hair?”

Husk blinked.

“What?” He asked, “Why?”

“I don’t know, what if people are after us? You’re inconspicuous enough, they shouldn’t know who you are, but if they’re looking for me, maybe I should change my look up a little.” Angel said, looking at the window as he took a sip from the soda he’d ordered, “I’ve been considering going blonde for a while now anyway.”

Husk had to admit he didn’t really want Angel to dye his hair. The dark brown that it naturally was was something Husk found to be a very pretty color, but maybe that was just because it was attached to Angel.

“I don’t know. If you want to, go ahead.” Husk said with a shrug.

“You’re no fun.” Angel replied, before taking a bite out of his burger again.

This time, he actually chewed and swallowed before speaking again.

“I could dye _your_ hair too.”

“Don’t even fucking think about it.”

Angel laughed, “Geez, okay.”

Husk was happy with his hair being the color that it was, thank you very much. He wasn’t necessarily in love with his hair, he honestly didn’t care all that much about most of his appearance, but if he could, he didn’t want to change anything unless absolutely necessary.

Also, he’d heard from multiple people that the process of bleaching one’s hair wasn’t the most comfortable. It wasn’t bad, but not the most fun. Not that he’d know, that was just what he’d heard.

Of course, if Angel wanted to bleach his own hair, Husk wouldn’t stop him. Hell, he’d probably help if Angel asked (though he’d never tell anybody that). But there was no way he’d let bleach come anywhere near his own hair.

“I bet you’d look great with blonde hair.” Angel said, twirling his straw around in his soda, stirring it around.

“Well, you’re not gonna see it.” Husk said, “So you can bet or whatever the fuck, but I’m not going anywhere near bleach.”

Angel shrugged, “That’s fair.”

They eventually left, paying in cash as they had this entire trip, and Angel insisted on taking a walk around town for a bit, just to explore and stretch their legs.

“Whatever happened to laying low?” Husk asked, but Angel just shrugged.

“I don’t think they’ll find us in some random ass town.” Angel said, “And if they do, lesson learned.”

He seemed way too calm about this, but Husk guessed that meant it was safe. Angel knew the people after them better than he did. Sure, he had experience fighting with some of them, but Angel had been on their team, so he had to know more.

At least, that’s what Husk hoped.

Eventually they were just walking in circles, talking, as Husk pretended he wasn’t acutely aware of Angel’s hand in his.

He felt on edge, like he was being watched. It was a feeling he was used to, but he could tell that this time was different.

Husk started paying a bit more attention to the people they passed by, and he seemed to do it just at the right time. He saw multiple guys walking around that he was pretty sure he’d already seen before.

They were looking at Angel, and when they noticed his eyes on them, they made eye contact for a moment, before quickly walking by. One of them bumped into his shoulder as he walked by, and Husk knew they were fucked.

Husk sped up his walking pace, and Angel did as well, keeping up.

“What’s up?” Angel asked.

“Don’t look behind you.” Husk said quietly, “Some guys are following us.”

Angel’s eyes widened, and he started to look straight ahead.

“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath.

Husk saw a turn coming up. They hadn’t gone that way before in the odd circle they’d been walking in. Anything that could disturb the pattern and maybe get the guys off their trail, Husk would do.

He tugged on Angel’s hand as he reached the turn, and the two made their way down the new road. They walked in silence, quickly and anxiously.

They made a few more turns, hoping to get to the car quick enough, and Husk couldn’t help but panic a bit. But he tried to reel it in, to stay in the moment, and not get caught up in his head. Now was not the time for that.

It was almost silent now. There was no longer the commotion of other people’s footsteps and cars in the road they were walking along now, except for the faint sounds of the street a few blocks back.

The sounds of multiple sets of heavy footsteps joined the two men’s own, and they sped up more. The men behind them did as well. This repeated, until they were nearly sprinting down the street, trying to get back to the road they knew the car was parked along.

They unclasped their hands to run better, and turned a corner, stopping for a moment and catching their breath.

“You go left, I’ll go right. We’ll meet in the middle.” Angel muttered, before he took off, indeed taking a turn and going right. Husk wanted to protest, but he was smarter than that, so he just hoped Angel would really be there.

He followed Angel’s instructions, turning left, before he went around at the end of that road, going down to what Angel had called “the middle.”

Angel was there, running in Husk’s direction. As they met, Angel grabbed onto his arm, pulling him down a small alleyway between two houses. The two of them went as far back into the alley as they could, until they knew they were covered by the shadows.

Husk was pressed against the wall, and he felt Angel’s body flush against his own. Their chests rose and fell as they breathed heavily, trying to stay quiet. They heard the men’s heavy footsteps, and froze.

The men seemed to stop, and Husk heard them talk in hushed tones, though he couldn’t make out their words. They then ran down the road, and Husk strained his ears until he couldn’t hear them anymore.

He and Angel let out a breath they didn’t know they’d been holding, and made eye contact. Their faces were inches apart, their chests pressed together and Husk’s arms around Angel’s waist, keeping them pressed together.

Their breaths mingled with each other, and they just stared.

Husk found Angel’s eyes fascinating. He had from the start, and even as he was more familiar with those eyes, he still found them just as interesting, and even more beautiful than he had at first. One blue and one brown. Husk had heard of heterochromia before, but he’d never actually seen it.

Angel often joked that the only “hetero” thing about him was his heterochromia, and Husk would always roll his eyes at those jokes. Though he couldn’t deny that sometimes Angel’s stupid jokes could be funny. _Sometimes_.

(A lot of the time, actually.)

Husk felt his nose brush against Angel’s, and it was then that he noticed how red Angel’s face had turned. He could feel the warmth radiating off of it in his close proximity, and he couldn’t help but smirk. For once Angel was the flustered one.

He closed the distance between them, kissing Angel almost frantically. That seemed to be the last straw, and with that the dam broke, the tension giving way to relief and left over adrenaline.

Angel quickly returned the kiss, pushing himself against Husk as if he could get any closer. He deepened the kiss, and before Husk could process it, Angel’s tongue was in his mouth.

The two of them seemed to fight for control for a moment, before finding equilibrium. Husk could feel his face burning, but he chalked it up to the surprisingly heated kiss.

After a few more moments of this, the two pulled away. Their mouths were connected by a string of spit for a moment, and Husk swore his face was gonna explode by how hot it felt. He was sure that he was bright red.

Angel giggled, pulling Husk away from the wall and into a tight hug. He squeezed him as tight as he could, and Husk decided not to say anything, after the close call they’d just faced.

He heard Angel mutter something into his shoulder, but he didn’t hear what he’d said.

“Hm?” He hummed, questioning.

“I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea to dye my hair, huh?” Angel mumbled, his chin now on Husk’s shoulder.

Husk snorted, “I guess so.”

  
The two pulled away from one another, but kept their hands intertwined as they walked out of the alley. They looked out before going on to the regular road, and nearly running across the street to get to the car, which was parked along the curb.

As soon as they got into the car, Angel put on a hoodie that Husk had in the backseat, pulling the hood up, and he threw the second one that was there at Husk as well. Husk grumbled, but did put the jacket on, though he kept the hood down.

They were out of the town as soon as they could be, and back on the road.

-

Angel had convinced Husk to stop by some beauty shop. Angel bought some bleach, with his own money that _he’d_ saved, not money for the drive.

Husk had wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but Angel had been careful about what he was getting, wanting to make sure his hair wouldn’t get so damaged it would fall off of his head.

Husk guessed he couldn’t blame him.

But now, they were sitting in the bathroom of the motel they’d chosen to spend the night in, and Angel was almost gagging at the strong smell of the bleach. His eyes felt watery and he could feel a headache building.

“Husky, can you open the door?” He asked.

Because of course he decided to bleach his hair in a small bathroom with shitty vents and kept the door closed. Like a fucking idiot.

Husk grunted in acknowledgement, and opened said door. He returned to Angel’s side, looking over the other man’s head, his hair covered in the goop that would turn it blonde.

“Any spots I missed?” Angel asked.

He looked up at Husk in the mirror of the bathroom, and saw him shake his head.

“Nope. As far as I can see, you got it all.” He said.

Angel sighed. “Good.”

He stood up, taking off the rubber gloves he’d worn to put the bleach in his hair and walking out of the bathroom.

“What do we do now?” Husk asked.

“We set a timer and wait.” Angel said, “Then wash it out, and then tone it.”

“Tone it?” Husk asked.

“It gets some of the warmer color out.” Angel said, “Unless you want me to have bright orange hair.”

Husk laughed at the mental image, but he knew that Angel was being serious.

“I didn’t know that was a thing.” He said instead.

Angel shrugged, “Yep. I didn’t either. I started to look into it a little while ago, though. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d been thinking about bleaching my hair.”

“I figured as much.” Husk replied.

“I decided not to do it, because that shit’s risky when you’ve got no experience.” Angel said, “And seeing as salons and shit are expensive as fuck, I guess was just planning to have brown hair my whole life.”

“I mean, your natural hair isn’t a bad color.” Husk said.

“Yeah.” Angel said, smirking at Husk’s words, before shrugging, “I just get bored.”

“You get bored of your hair?”

“Yep. But I don’t do anything because I don’t fucking know what to do.”

Husk let out a hum. He was learning something new about Angel.

“Plus, Val always gave me shit whenever I changed something, even something simple.” Angel added, “So I didn’t wanna deal with his bitching if I changed my hair.”

“I hate that son of bitch. He deserved what he got.” Husk said with a scowl.

Angel’s eyes widened, but he didn’t argue. If anything, he actually shrugged, nodding.

“You’re not wrong.” Angel said, “I guess I’m still scared to say it.”

Husk frowned, walking over to Angel and sitting next to him on the bed he was seated on.

“That asshole fucked with your head, didn’t he?” He asked, feeling like an idiot. He should’ve known that. It was clear as fucking day.

Angel shrugged, “Yeah.”

They sat in silence, and Angel turned on the TV, waiting for the timer to go off.

Husk couldn’t help but notice Angel getting more and more tense as the bleach sat in his hair longer and longer. When the timer went off, Angel’s shoulders sagged as he sighed in relief.

“Thank fuck, this shit burns.” He said, getting up and starting to head to the bathroom.

“It does?” Husk asked, concerned.

“Yeah. Not too bad, though. I just fucking hate it.” Angel said, “But I guess beauty is pain.”

With that he went into the bathroom, quickly turning on the shower. He was wearing just a shirt and underwear, so he got undressed relatively quickly, before stepping under the hot water.

He put his head under the water, only to hiss and immediately try to make the water colder. It took a bit of fucking with the handle, but finally the water became more warm than hot, which was nicer on his irritated scalp.

Washing the bleach out of his hair, Angel shampooed twice, remembering that he’d read somewhere to do that. Also, better safe than sorry. Don’t want any left over bleach in his hair. That wouldn’t be fun.

He finally stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel and immediately drying off his hair, before drying off the rest of his body. He looked into the somewhat foggy mirror, and saw his hair was a bright yellow.

Angel laughed, before he opened the bathroom door and walked out into the motel room.

“Hey, Husky, look.” He said with a laugh, “My hair’s yellow.”

Husk looked over at him before snickering.

“You should keep it that way.” He said with a shit eating grin.

Angel’s brows furrowed, and he shook his head quickly, “Fuck no!”

He grabbed the toner he’d bought, before he walked back into the bathroom, waving for Husk to follow him.

“I need you to make sure I don’t miss any spots!”

Husk groaned, but it was all for show. He followed Angel to the bathroom, and did what was asked of him.

In the end, Angel sat on the bed, wearing one of Husk’s t-shirts and a pair of boxers that Husk was pretty sure were also his. Husk didn’t comment, though, as Angel wore his clothes all the time already.

Angel couldn’t stop playing with his hair. It was no longer his usual dark brown, but a light blonde. He stared at the hair he could grab to pull in front of his eyes, and ruffled the hair he couldn’t see. He just couldn’t stop messing with it.

“I think my hair isn’t as curly.” Angel whined, “I liked my curl.”

Angel’s hair was naturally a bit thicker, and had a good wave to it, but with the damage from the bleach, it obviously wasn’t going to be as curly as before.

Husk shrugged, climbing onto the bed and sitting next to Angel, leaning against the headboard.

“Well, you were the one who decided to bleach your hair.” He said.

Angel stuck his tongue out at him in response. Husk raised an eyebrow.

“That’s mature.” Husk said.

“I’ll show you mature!” Angel exclaimed, before nearly tackling Husk, the two falling over, ending up sideways on the bed.

They rolled around, almost mock wrestling, and both were laughing. And they did it for a good few minutes.

Their battle ended with Angel laying down on top of Husk, leaning on his elbows that were positioned on the sides of Husk’s head, his legs positioned in a way that he was almost straddling the other man. He smiled down at him.

“Hi.” He said playfully, “How ya’ doing?”

Husk just smiled at him, before he snorted, breaking down into laughter. Angel wasn’t sure if he’d heard Husk laugh so joyfully before, and he felt a warm feeling blossom in his chest at that thought, smiling so wide he felt like his cheeks would hurt.

He leaned down, capturing Husk’s lips within his own in a chaste kiss. Husk returned the kiss, and they pulled away after only a moment. Angel leaned down again, this time resting his head on Husk’s chest and letting his arms just lay there, rather than hold him up.

“Y’know.” Angel said, “I’m starting to get used to this.”

Husk let out a questioning hum, “What do you mean?”

“Kissing.” Angel said, taking Husk’s hand and moving it closer to his face, “And other coupley stuff.”

He pressed a kiss to the back of Husk’s hand, smiling. “I’d like to keep getting used to it.”

Husk’s breath hitched, and Angel felt his smile twitch at the edges, nervous.

“I-” Husk cleared his throat, “You would?”

“Yeah.” Angel replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He refused to look up at Husk. He didn’t want to see his expression, because what if it wasn’t what he hoped for?

They were quiet, and Angel worried that he’d messed up, that he’d misinterpreted everything and that Husk was going to reject him, when Husk broke the silence.

“I’d like that too.” He said softly.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of Angel’s shoulders, and he sat up, straddling Husk’s hips as his face broke into a smile. He leaned down and started to pepper his face with kisses, before finally landing on his lips, and lingering there for a longer kiss.

The kiss was broken when the two couldn’t keep themselves from smiling anymore. They pulled away, grinning, and Angel swore his face was gonna hurt from how much he smiled.

He actually didn’t mind, though, because this was fucking amazing.

“Well then let’s get used to each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I'm gonna be honest I loosely based Angel's appearance off of my own lol, at least with the hair. I mean, Angel's canonically Italian and so my brain went "Hey I am too!" so now Angel in all my human AUs looks kinda like me lol. Projection at its finest.
> 
> And the scene with the bleach was written based on personal experience, that process is not fun lol. But I like being blonde so it's a price to pay.
> 
> Thanks for reading!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter is a bit much lol. Idk how else to explain it, but check the tags, as I've updated them again. (Some of them aren't relevant to this chapter, but most of the new additional tags are).

"I'm really gonna have to get used to having blonde hair." Angel said, ruffling his hair for the hundredth time, "This is fucking weird."

Husk rolled his eyes fondly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"How close are we?" Husk asked.

Angel checked the GPS, pushing up the sleeves of the hoodie he wore to be able to use the phone.

"Depending on any stops we take, we should be able to get there late tomorrow night if we're lucky." Angel said, "If not, we'll definitely be there in two days."

"Thank fucking God." Husk said, "I'm getting tired of driving."

"I could drive." Angel said.

"I thought you don't have a license?" Husk asked.

"Yeah, but I _can_ drive. I just never got a license." Angel said with a shrug.

Husk sighed, "Yeah, I'm gonna keep driving. I don't need us to get pulled over and then get in trouble because you don't have a license."

"Hey! I'm a pretty good driver, we wouldn't get pulled over!" Angel replied.

Husk side eyed him, before looking back at the road. "Uh-huh."

Angel huffed, crossing his arms, "It's true."

"Get a license first." Husk said, "Then we can talk."

They continued to bicker aimlessly, when Angel's phone rang.

Both nervously looked at each other. Nobody had the burner phone's number but Cherri, though Angel wouldn't have been surprised if Charlie saved it. Otherwise the only other reason they'd get a phone call was a spam caller.

Angel hoped it was a spam caller.

He answered the phone, "Hello?"

" **Hey, Angel!** " It was Charlie.

Angel let out a sigh of relief, "Hey, Cha-cha. What's up?"

" **We just wanted to ask you if you wanted to take your old room!** "

Angel blinked.

"Oh." He said, "It isn't taken?"

" **No.** " Charlie replied, " **Your room had way too many fancy renovations to make it like the others. I guess that's what we get for now knowing what we were doing at first.** "

"Yeah, sorry about that." Angel said with a laugh, "So, what, my room's still the same?"

" **Yep!** " Charlie said, " **It's a bit dusty, but we can easily have someone clean it up!** "

Angel shrugged, "Then I don't see why I wouldn't take it. The bed's the same, right?"

" **Yeah, we didn't touch any furniture.** "

"Then I'll take it."

" **Awesome! I'll see you soon!** " Charlie said.

"See ya' soon, babe." Angel replied, before hanging up.

Angel put his phone down, back on his lap, and looked out the window, at the scenery they were driving by. It looked like they were in the middle of a forest, trees on either side of the highway.

"What was that about?" Husk asked.

"The people we're staying with." Angel replied.

"Can you tell me a little bit more about this place we're staying? I barely know anything about it." Husk said.

Angel shrugged, "What do you want to know?"

"Well, what kind of place is it, and who are we staying with? Let's go with that." Husk replied.

Angel looked back out the window, thinking for a moment on how to answer.

"Well, we're staying at a hotel." Angel said, "Two friends of mine own the place, and I lived there while I was out of town, so we're going there."

"A hotel?"

"Well it's not a regular hotel. It could probably be better described as rehab, it's a place to rehabilitate criminals and 'troubled people.' I was their first test subject."

Husk chuckled, "I can imagine how well that went for them."

"Yep." Angel said, "They actually helped me get sober, at least off of PCP. But I was still working for Val."

Husk frowned at the mention of Val, which made Angel smile.

"They were actually trying to start the place in the city." Angel said, "But then some _mysterious business partner_ came up so they moved to work with the guy. And seeing as I was a part of their whole thing, I went too."

"Business partner, huh?" Husk said, "I can only imagine the shit you'd pull with that."

"You wouldn't believe." Angel said, "Turned out the guy was boring, and pretty flaky. He apparently left not long after I did. They've got a new business partner now, though, and he seems to be a lot better at it, from what I've heard."

"Well, I kinda feel bad for your friends then, if the guy left. Good for them for finding something new, though." Husk replied.

Angel shrugged, "I've also heard that the guy's creepy as fuck, but at least he helps."

"Well now I feel even more bad for your friends. They seem to be a bit unlucky." Husk said with a grimace.

-

"Come on, Angel, we gotta get up." Husk said, his voice deeper from sleep.

Angel whined, tightening his grip on Husk, "Nooooo."

Husk sighed. "It's been an hour already, we need to get on the road." He said.

"Five more minutes." Angel said.

"I just said we've been laying here for around sixty." Husk replied.

"And I said five more."

Husk sighed, before he sat up anyway. Angel clung to him, nearly hanging from where his hands were around his neck. He picked Angel up, carrying him bridal style, and put him down at the end of the bed, where he could sit. Angel kept his face buried in the crook of Husk's neck, still clinging to Husk.

"Look, I'm gonna get ready for the day." Husk said, "It's not my fault you made us stay up stupidly late. At least I'm doing stuff now."

"It is your fault," Angel said, sounding like a petulant child.

"How was it my fault?"

"You know how."

Husk didn't reply, not really knowing what to say, when he felt Angel kiss the side of his neck, and that was the final straw.

"Okay, seriously, you need to let me go, _I'm_ getting ready!" Husk said, before he managed to pull Angel off of him and walk into the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror at himself, grimacing at the sight of his neck, where there were more than a few hickeys. They weren't super dark or anything, but they were definitely there, and somewhat noticeable.

Husk's face felt warm and he saw in the mirror that he was now a bit red. He groaned, running a hand over his face.

And the worst thing was that he couldn't even be mad about it, because Angel looked just as bruised as him. If not more.

And that was the end of that thought process. Husk was going to actually get ready now, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, Angel, who was sitting on the bed and _not_ pouting, stared at the wall, letting his thoughts run.

He wondered if Husk would get along with the people at the hotel. He didn't see why not.

The only issue he could think of there being was Husk's alcoholism. The hotel _was_ a place for rehabilitation, so they probably wouldn't take kindly to it. But then again, if he kept his drinking on the down low, maybe it'd be okay? After all, he wasn't a patron of the hotel, he was just staying there with Angel.

Angel let out a huff, flopping down on the bed. A tuft of his now blonde hair fell into his view, and he smiled.

As weird as it was being blonde now, the look had definitely grown on Angel by now. He looked fucking hot with blonde hair, if he did say so himself. He had a feeling Husk agreed.

Speak of the devil, Husk walked out of the bathroom looking much more awake. Angel sat up, making grabby hands again, receiving an exasperated laugh from his lover.

Husk walked over, picking him up, his hands underneath Angel's thighs. Angel wrapped his legs around Husk's waist, and rested his arms on his shoulders.

"Morning." Angel said, before he looked at Husk's neck and smirked, "Did 'ya know that you bruise really easily?"

Husk gave him a dry expression, "Yeah I noticed."

Angel giggled, and Husk groaned. After Angel calmed down, Husk put him down, much to his annoyance.

"Go clean up, dumbass." Husk said fondly, "We need to get back on the road."

Angel nodded his head, making an obviously fake pouty face. "Fine." He said.

He bumped his hip against Husk's as he walked to the bathroom, "I'm in the same boat, with the bruising. We match."

Husk could see that they truly did. He tried not to find it endearing, because since when would he find that kind of thing endearing?

Since Angel.

Ugh, damn that man. Damn him and his dumb smile and his pretty eyes. And his soothing voice, and his good style. And how he knew just what buttons to press to get the reaction he wanted, and how fucking cute he was, and how cuddly he got in the mornings, and how sweet he'd be at random times, and how Husk was absolutely-

_Oh._

_Oh, fuck._

Husk was absolutely _gone_.

He tried to repress a goofy smile, but he found that he couldn't. It wasn't like he could take it back now. Not like he'd want to. He was caught in Angel's web, and there was nowhere else he'd rather be at the moment.

Jeez, that was way too sappy. There was no way he'd be telling Angel any of that.

But he had a feeling that he didn't need to.

-

Angel stared out the window, watching raindrops race down. The street was glistening in the rain under the streetlights, and the sound of the heavy rain against the car roof was soothing.

"Are we there yet?" Husk asked.

Angel pulled up the GPS for the fifth time that night, "No. Not yet. We could be there in _maybe_ twenty minutes, but we'd have to break a few laws to do that."

"How long at the speed we're currently driving?"

"About an hour. Safer to find a motel and continue tomorrow."

Husk sighed. "I blame you."

"Hey, why the fuck are ya' blaming me?" Angel asked.

"You're the one that made us sleep in." Husk replied.

"You're the one that tired me out the night before."

Husk sputtered, which Angel considered a win.

"Well, I was able to get up just fine at the usual time." Husk said, "You just don't like getting up."

"I'm not a morning person, Husky, how's any of that my fault?" Angel asked.

Their bickering was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot.

Both men froze. The car continued on. Maybe it had been thunder.

And then there was another.

Nope. Definitely a gunshot.

 _Fuck_.

"What the fuck was that?" Husk asked shakily.

Angel adjusted the rearview mirror after a moment, to get a better view. His blood ran cold.

"We're being followed."

Husk slammed his foot into the gas, speeding the car up. He and Angel were pushed back by the momentum, but they caught their bearings.

"Any way out nearby?" Husk asked.

Angel looked at the GPS again.

"Yeah, should be one coming up." He said.

Husk continued to drive, getting off of the highway as soon as he could. They could hear the car behind them speeding to keep up, and they hoped that there were no police in the area.

There was another gunshot. Husk cringed. He really hoped his car wasn't getting hit. He didn't know if he'd feel it or not if it did. He didn't want to find out.

Angel was trying to keep his breathing under control. Trying to believe that they could get away from this. But he couldn't help but think that they were fucked. Because they were _fucked_. They'd be lucky if they got out of this alive.

He didn't tell this to Husk, though, because maybe they actually could get away, and him telling Husk would ruin it.

Still, he couldn't help but think that they probably wouldn't be able to get away.

The car continued to zoom down the road. Now they were going through some town Angel didn't know the name of, or care about. The car behind them was still following them. No matter what turns they took or how much faster they went, there was no stopping the car.

Oh, they were _fucked_.

"I'm going back on the highway."

"What-"

"I really don't wanna get lost in this town. Didn't you say your place was close if we broke a few laws?"

Angel felt like he couldn't breathe. He forced himself to take a deep breath.

"Yeah."

Husk nodded, his gaze on the road ahead of him, "Then we're already breaking a shit ton of laws. May as well break some more."

Angel nodded, trying to take another breath.

Husk drove onto the highway, quickly. He rested a hand on Angel's knee, and offer of comfort. Angel took it, gripping it tightly, trying to regulate his breathing. That was all he could do right now.

Angel heard the tires of the car behind them screech. Likely trying to match their unexpected turn.

Husk pushed down on the gas more. Angel knew that he was pushing the car close to the fastest it could drive.

"This is risky, are you sure-"

"It could be our only way out."

Angel didn't reply, nodding. It was obvious that Husk was focusing on getting out of this. Angel wasn't going to distract him.

There was another gunshot. Angel jumped. Husk's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Husk pushed down on the gas even more, and now they were definitely going as fast as the car possibly could.

After a few tense moments of driving that felt like ages, Angel spoke out.

"Get off here, we're almost there."

He was staring at the GPS like his life depended on it. Almost all of his focus was on the phone.

Husk listened, turning off of the highway and into the town.

"We'll get them off of our trail and then figure out where this hotel is." Husk said, receiving another nod from Angel.

He drove into the city. He turned down a random road, and that was when the chase really began.

The sound of gunshots rang out again. Husk took another turn, heading onto a new road. He swerved down the nearly empty street, before taking yet another turn.

This continued. Angel's grip on Husk's hand tightened with each gunshot that rang out, each screech of tires.

_Breathe. Keep breathing. You can do that._

Angel took a deep breath. He heard another gunshot and flinched. His grip on Husk's hand tightened yet again.

"We're losing them." Husk said, "Should we stay around here or head out a bit? We could hide and then turn back around or something."

"Head out." Angel said, "So they don't get the idea we're staying here."

Husk listened, quickly making his way closer to the edge of the city. He got on another road that would lead them to another town.

There was another gunshot. Then a screeching of tires. But this time the tires were louder.

And then Angel felt his breath get caught in his throat. There was the sound of crunching and of breaking glass. It felt like his body had just been tumbled in a dryer. He felt himself jostle around, like being thrown.

Then it stopped, as quickly as it had started. Angel felt dazed. His head felt funny.

He didn't even realize he'd closed his eyes until he opened them, and was met with the realization that he was upside down.

He froze. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck-

"Angel!" He heard Husk shout.

Angel looked over to see Husk. He was in a similar position as him. He looked okay though.

He tried to respond, but Angel couldn't seem to be able to speak. He knew his throat and his voice were fine, but he felt as if he couldn't speak.

"Are you okay?" Husk asked after a moment.

Angel nodded shakily.

"Great." Husk said.

Husk took a deep breath, before he turned off the engine.

"I've read about this happening." Husk said, "When I first got this car I was paranoid."

Angel nodded dumbly. The next thing he knew, Husk was directing him, telling him how to get himself unbuckled.

As soon as they were free, they looked over at each other, and Husk put a hand on Angel's face.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked, before receiving another nod from Angel.

"I-" Angel mumbled, finally finding his voice, "I'm okay."

He could see the relief on Husk's face, and he tried to smile. It ended up looking more like a grimace, but Angel knew that Husk understood it anyway.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Husk said.

They ended up crawling out of Angel's window, because the door was messed up. Once they were finally out, they leaned against the side of the car. The rain soaked them, but they couldn't find it in themselves to care.

And then there was the sound of a gunshot. They froze. Angel heard two voices.

"Should we check?" One voice said.

"Nah. A crash like that? I doubt he's okay." The other replied.

"No, I think we should. Vox said to kill him, or take him back alive."

"But why bother if he's probably dead?"

"He might not be dead, that's why."

The first voice groaned, "Okay, fine."

Angel held his breath. He heard footsteps from the side of the car.

In the darkness, he saw a figure there, holding a gun, turn around the corner, facing them. He knew that the darkness would make it hard to see him and Husk. Maybe they wouldn't be seen at all.

And then he heard the sound of the gun go off again. He felt himself shaking like a leaf.

The man walked away afterwards, seeming to be satisfied.

"I couldn't really see him, but he was there." He said, "He was laying there or something. I shot him. He's definitely not surviving."

The second voice spoke again, "Vox isn't gonna be happy. You know he wanted him alive more than dead."

"Yeah, but he's not gonna punish us, he said we could kill him if we couldn't get him."

The sound of two car doors slamming was heard, and then Angel heard them drive away.

He heard labored breathing, and- _oh shit, Husk_.

Angel turned to Husk, putting a hand on his face, turning his head to face him.

"Are you okay?!" He asked.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." Husk said, sounding breathless, "He missed my side. He didn't get me. I'm okay."

Angel let out a sob of relief. He felt tears slip from his eyes, mixing with the rain soaking him to his core.

He sobbed again, louder this time, and he wrapped his arms around Husk. A moment later, he could hear the other man's quiet whimpers, and felt Husk bury his face in the crook of his neck, warm to a point that Angel knew he was also crying.

They sat like that for a bit, in each other's arms as they cried, taking in the night and what had just happened.

That had been a close call. They could've died. They nearly had.

But somehow, they hadn't.

Eventually they calmed down. Angel stroked Husk's hair as he tried to catch his breath, his chest hurting after sobbing so much. He knew Husk was doing something similar.

Husk mumbled something, but between the sound of the occasional passing car, the rain, and the sound of Angel's own beating heart, he couldn't hear him.

"What?" He asked.

"You should call someone to pick us up." Husk repeated.

Angel nodded, moving to grab his phone from where he knew it was still in the car. He felt Husk's grip on him tighten before letting him go, and Angel had to admit that he didn't want to let go of the other man either.

He retrieved his phone, and Husk immediately leaned against him again.

Angel dialed the number of the hotel with shaky hands. Nobody answered, so he called again. It wasn't until the third attempt did he get an answer, and it sounded like a very tired receptionist.

" **Hello? This is the Ha-** "

"Can you put Charlie or Vaggie on the line?"

There was a pause. Likely the receptionist processing just what Angel had said in such a hurry.

" **Sir, they're sleeping right now, I can't-** "

"Tell them it's Angel. They know who I am, it's important."

Maybe the receptionist just didn't want to argue, or maybe he heard the desperation in Angel's voice, or maybe it was something else, but he sighed, before saying " **Give me a moment.** "

After a few minutes, Vaggie was on the phone.

" **Angel? Why the fuck are you calling, it's 2 in the morning.** " Vaggie asked, sounding not pleased that she was woken up. Angel couldn't bring himself to care.

"I need you to pick me up." Angel replied.

" **What? Why?** " Vaggie asked.

"Long story short, our car crashed and we're stuck right outside of the city."

" **Angel, what the fuck-** "

"I'll explain to you when you pick us up, but right now we're sitting in the rain and we need a ride."

" **Okay. Okay, jeez. Gimme a sec, I'll give you my personal number and you can text me your location.** "

"Thank you."

If it wasn't for how frantic Angel sounded, it was the fact that he'd actually said "thank you" that really sealed the deal that he wasn't okay. He knew that Vaggie could pick that up.

  
She gave him the number, which he typed into the messages app. They exchanged a few more words, before hanging up. Angel quickly got their location on the GPS, and sent it to her, telling her what the car looked like.

It took about twenty minutes of waiting, but they felt like hours. Angel and Husk huddled up together, sitting there in the rain, and if they shed a few more tears, neither Angel nor Husk said anything about it.

Finally, there was the sound of a car door opening and closing. For a moment, both men feared that it was the men who'd been following them, coming back to double check, but then Angel heard Charlie's voice calling out to him.

"Angel?!" She yelled.

"I'm here!" Angel yelled back, hoping she heard him despite the rain and the fact that he was yelling away from her.

Taking Husk's hand, Angel stood up on shaky legs. He and Husk walked out from behind the car, and made their way up the side of the ditch they'd fallen into, back to the highway where there was a familiar white limo pulled over.

Charlie stood there, in front of the open door. She had an umbrella, but it wasn't really helping her in the heavy rain. When she saw Angel and Husk, her eyes widened, and Angel knew for a fact that she'd gasped.

They quickly got in the car, Charlie following them. Vaggie was there, too. No surprise there.

Both couples sat across from each other, Angel taking his old spot in front of the window that led to the driver, and Husk sitting beside him.

They were quiet as the car drove back into the city, everybody afraid to break the silence.

Charlie was the one to finally speak up.

"Are you okay?" She asked, "What happened?"

Husk looked away, and Angel leaned into his side as an attempt at comfort.

"I'm fine. I'm prob'ly hurt, but overall I'm fine." Angel said, and he internally grimaced at his scratchy sounding voice.

"And you?" Vaggie said, directing her statement at Husk, who was avoiding all eye contact.

"'M fine." He muttered.

"Okay. We should take you to a hospital." Charlie said.

Angel shrugged, and felt Husk lean back into him.

"It'll be okay." He whispered to him, wrapping an arm around Husk's waist. He just got a sigh in reply.

"What happened?" Charlie asked.

"We were chased." Husk grumbled out, his voice sounding rough as well, "We tried to get them off our trail and we crashed. They left us for dead."

"Oh." Vaggie said.

"Well, on the bright side, they won't be looking for you anymore." Charlie said, over the optimist.

Angel let out a chuckle, but there wasn't much humor behind it. "Yeah, that's true."

"We should _really_ take you guys to a hospital."

Husk leaned into Angel more, and Angel got the memo. He didn't want to be separated. Angel didn't either, when he thought about it.

"We'll be fine." Angel said, " _I'll_ be fine."

"I know." Husk replied, and he left it at that, resting his head on Angel's shoulder.

Angel guessed Charlie texted the driver or something, because when the limo stopped, they were in front of a hospital rather than the hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! This was a fun chapter to write! I wrote the majority of it in one day, which isn't normal for me lol, and I stayed up late to finish this, so be thankful! There's one chapter left after this, and it'll likely be coming out soon, as I'm currently working on editing it. Look out for that!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

“Welcome back to the hotel!” Charlie said, her arms extended as if presenting something. Technically she was, the lobby of the hotel behind her.

It was morning now. After spending a good few hours at the hospital, it had been concluded that by some miracle, Angel and Husk were okay, with the worst being Husk having a minor concussion. Husk had to take it easy, and while he wasn’t the happiest, it could’ve been worse.

They were finally at the hotel, and the only thing Angel wanted to do was sleep.

“Thanks, babe.” Angel said, “We can have the tour later, but right now I just want to sleep.”

Charlie deflated, but quickly perked up again, her expression sympathetic. “Yeah, sorry. I can take you to your room!”

She led them to Angel’s old room, though Angel was pretty sure he could’ve found it on his own.

They made their way down the hall, and Angel couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as he looked around. It was like nothing had changed, but at the same time things felt more clean, more put together. It was strange, and in his tired and still shaken haze, Angel couldn’t really make sense of the feeling. He decided to put it in the back of his mind for later.

Finally, they made their way to the door of Angel’s room. He chuckled at the room number, 69. He remembered asking for that number when he’d first become a patron, and how annoyed Vaggie had been and how Charlie just nodded and smiled, though she’d obviously been thrown off by it as well.

_Ah, memories._

Angel smiled as he entered his own room. It still had the pink wallpaper, and the pink blankets and pillows, and that vanity mirror with the lights that he’d loved so much.

He heard Husk mutter something about “pink threw up everywhere,” but he didn’t mind it.

“I’ll leave you guys to sleep, you must be exhausted.” Charlie said, and with that she was out of the room.

Husk flopped down on the bed, only for Angel to point a finger at him.

“Those are clean sheets, and we’re still wet from the rain. We are showering.” He said.

Husk grumbled, and Angel’s expression softened.

“We can shower together if you want it to take less time.” Angel said, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“You better not fuckin’ try anything.” Husk said, standing up properly as he followed Angel into the bathroom.

Angel pecked him on the lips, before he took off his damp shirt, “Nah. I’m too tired for anything more than cuddles.”

Husk nodded, letting out a hum. “Me too.”

He leaned in to give Angel a kiss. It was chaste, and only lasted a few moments, but it was filled with so much affection that it made Angel’s heart melt.

After they were fully undressed, they got into the shower, which had the regular hotel soaps in it. They quickly washed off, and the most they did was exchange tired kisses.

They dried off quickly. Husk left the bathroom as soon as he had, flopping down on the bed, butt naked.

Angel snorted, but he decided to hang up their clothes, to dry off properly. They were the only clothes they had right now. He didn’t know if they’d go back to the car and grab their stuff later, but at the moment, they only had these. He was not gonna let them just sit there and get moldy from not being dried properly.

“Ange, c’mon. What are you doing?” He heard Husk call to him from the bed.

“I’m hangin’ up the clothes.” Angel said, “So they can dry.”

“Oh. Good idea.”

“Thanks. I’m full of ‘em.”

He heard Husk chuckle, and finally got the last article of clothing hung up. Angel walked out of the bathroom, quickly making a detour to close the curtains.

His sleeping habits when he’d lived at the hotel had been even worse than they were now, which was saying something, so he’d gotten curtains that could block out all the light from the windows. Considering that now it was early morning and the sun was already rising as he and Husk finally went to bed, it was convenient.

Angel finally climbed into bed, getting under the blankets and curling up next to Husk.

The couple was passed out within ten minutes.

-

Angel was the first one to wake up, and looking at the clock on the bedside table, saw that it was around 5 pm. He still felt tired, but he knew that he’d slept for a while, and he didn’t want to wake up after the sun was starting to set if he could help it, because then it would be even harder to get his sleep schedule back in order after this.

He shuffled out of bed, deciding to let Husk sleep, and went into the bathroom, to see if their clothes had dried out. They had, but they were a bit oddly wrinkled. Angel supposed that was the best he was gonna get, and he put on the outfit he’d worn the day before.

Then he left his room, trying to open the door just enough to slip out, but not enough to let too much light in. He didn’t want to disturb Husk.

If Angel remembered right, the kitchen wasn’t too far away from the lobby, so he decided to head there, only to end up running into Charlie on his way there.

“Oh! Angel! I was just about to check on you two.” She said, obviously surprised, “Where’s your… boyfriend? Is he your boyfriend?”

Angel felt a bit giddy at the prospect of referring to Husk as his boyfriend, even in his tired, almost numb state.

“He’s still asleep. I decided not to bother him.” Angel replied, shrugging off Charlie’s second question. He had Husk hadn’t really discussed it in full, but he had a feeling Husk didn’t care what they called each other.

Charlie nodded. “I called to get your car towed after you went to bed, and I got your stuff.”

Was that possible? Angel had no clue. But he knew that Charlie had her ways.

“Thanks, I was actually hoping I could change.” Angel replied.

“Did you sleep in those clothes?” Charlie asked.

“Nah.” Angel said.

He could see Charlie trying to block out ideas of what could’ve happened, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t blame her for assuming things, though, he knew how he could be.

“We just slept.” Angel said, “We were too tired for anything else.”

Charlie nodded awkwardly, “Well, if you come with me to my office, I can give you your stuff.”

“Lead the way, Princess.” Angel replied, and they made their way to Charlie’s office.

Angel returned to the room with the bags he and Husk had packed in the car, thankful for the fact that they’d tried to keep the amount of stuff they took with them small.

When he got there, Husk was sitting up in bed, obviously having just woken up.

“Heya, Husky.” Angel said, closing the door with his hip and putting the bags down, “How ya’ doing?”

Husk groaned, pushing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Ugh. My head feels like shit.”

“Sleep deprivation or concussion, my guess.” Angel said, rummaging through his bag to retrieve some actually clean clothes.

He finally got a solid outfit, and immediately stripped out of the clothes he was wearing, not caring that Husk was there. Like Angel had said earlier, nothing he hadn’t seen before.

After he changed into the clean outfit, Angel let out a sigh in relief. He never liked wearing clothes that he knew were dirty.

“Charlie got our stuff.” Angel said, taking Husk’s bag over to him and resting it at the foot of the bed.

“Is there Advil in either of the bags?” Husk asked, rubbing at his head.

Angel quirked his mouth to the side, before he opened Husk’s bag. It didn’t take too much rummaging to find a small bottle of Ibuprofen. He handed it to Husk.

“There should be a water bottle or something. I always keep one on me.” Husk said, pointing to the bag.

Angel nodded, and after not much more rummaging, he found a half empty water bottle, which he gave to Husk.

Husk took two pills, before he drank the remainder of the water. He then got out of bed, grabbing some clothes out of his bag and getting dressed, and stretching.

“We should get some food or something.” Husk said, realizing how hungry he felt.

Angel shrugged, “Sounds good to me. But be careful. The doctor said you’ve got to rest a lot and shit.”

“Eh.” Husk replied, “Fuck that.”

Angel quirked a brow. “Lemme tell ya’, a concussion is not fun. A concussion that you don’t actually listen to the doctor about? Even fucking worse.”

“What, have you gotten a concussion?”

“Yep. Multiple times, actually.”

“Oh.”

Angel smiled, “I mean, I doubt it’s that much of a surprise.”

Husk shrugged.

“At least let me turn on a light.” Husk said, “It’s really dark in here.”

“Yeah, it is.” Angel said, before barely repressing a yawn, “It’s making me sleepy again, to be honest.”

He walked over to the windows, opening the curtains to let sunlight in. He knew that soon the sun would begin to set, but it worked for now. He heard a clicking sound, signifying that Husk turned a lamp on as well.

“I’ll grab some food from the kitchen.” Angel said.

“What, am I not allowed to go out of the room or something?” Husk asked.

“I dunno.” Angel replied with a shrug, “I just figured that you have better chances of avoiding people if you stay here for the most part. And also it’s better on your head or whatever the fuck.”

“Let me at least come out to grab some food.”  
“Alright, sure.”

-

The two men were in the kitchen, Angel sitting on the counter as Husk leaned against it, next to the younger man. Husk munched on a granola bar, and Angel had a bag of chips that he’d found.

They occasionally exchanged a few words, but were mostly silent, just eating their food. Even though he hadn’t eaten in almost twenty four hours, Angel didn’t feel all that hungry. But he knew he had to eat _something_.

The doors to the kitchen opened suddenly, and in stepped a tall man that Angel vaguely recognized. He was the new business partner, wasn’t he?

Angel had to admit that the guy was hot. Not really Angel’s type, but hot.

He had an unnerving smile on his face, and Angel wondered if he always looked like that. In the few photos Angel had seen of the man, he always had that expression.

The man seemed to not pay them much mind, glancing at them before he continued to walk into the kitchen. But then he stopped, midstep, and did a double take. There was a spark of recognition in his eyes, and his face morphed into one of surprise. He still had that creepy grin, though.

At that same moment, Husk froze up, his expression practically screaming “ _Oh shit_.”

“Husker, is that you? Well, fancy seeing you here!” The man exclaimed.

“Who’s this, Husky?” Angel asked, nudging Husk in the side with his foot.

Husk let out a long sigh, facepalming.

“I am Alastor, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” The man exclaimed, making his way over to Angel and offering a hand to shake.

Angel quirked a brow, but took it, shaking hands in an oddly formal way, “Angel.”

The man took a step away, looking down at Husk, who’d decided to speak.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Husk asked, sounding defeated.

“Why, I’m the co-owner of this hotel!” Alastor replied.

“Of course…” Husk sighed.

“Now, I am wondering what _you_ are doing here!” Alastor said, “I doubt you are trying to rehabilitate yourself! Haha! And so far from the city, too!”

“Actually, he’s here with me.” Angel said, “We’re staying here for a bit.”

Alastor quirked his head to the side, before his eyes lit up, seeming to remember something. “Oh! You are the one hiding from Vox!”

Angel grimaced, but nodded.

“I still don’t see why you would be accompanying him, my dear Husker!” Alastor said, turning his attention back on to Husk, who seemed to be trying to make himself smaller.

Angel realized that this man could be described as the human embodiment of an exclamation point.

“None of your business.” Husk replied.

“Oh, but it is my hotel! So technically, it is my business!” Alastor replied smugly.

Husk growled something under his breath, but didn’t respond beyond that.

“I asked him to come.” Angel lied, “I didn’t wanna go alone.”

Truth be told, he _hadn’t_ wanted to go alone. When Husk had said he’d be coming with, Angel had thanked the higher power that he didn’t believe in.

He had a feeling Husk didn’t want to admit to this dude who apparently knew him that he had _mushy feelings_ , though, so Angel decided he’d solve his problem. Even if he had to tell a little lie to do it.

“I see.” Alastor said, looking over at Angel, “How did you two meet?”

“Why are you asking so many questions?” Husk snapped, interrupting Angel before he could speak.

“Why, I simply would like to know what my good friend has been getting up to these last few years!” Alastor replied, “It seems this effeminate fellow over here would be more likely to answer my questions, considering your attitude.”

“Attitude?” Husk repeated, nearly seething.

Angel couldn’t help but find the ordeal funny, but he decided that it was likely a better idea to go back up to their room and finish their “breakfast” there. He slid off of the counter, taking Husk’s hand and beginning to walk away.

“Nice meeting ya’!” Angel said as he and Husk left the kitchen.

Angel led Husk back the way they came, but they slowed down once they were within the actual halls of the hotel and not the lobby.

“So, who the fuck was that?” Angel asked, looking over at Husk.

“My old boss.” Husk replied.

“Old boss?” Angel asked, cocking his head to the side, “Wait, was that the Radio Demon?”

Husk nodded, continuing to grumble under his breath.

“Oh my god, I just had a conversation with the Radio Demon.” Angel said, before he burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness.

“What’s so funny?” Husk asked.

“Well, for one, I used to work for Valentino, and then I fucking killed him. Two, we’re on the run from Vox. Three, we’re staying in a hotel owned by the Magne family, and four, we just had a conversation with the fuckin’ Radio Demon.” Angel said, “It’s just insane.”

“Wait, this is owned by the Magnes?”

“You couldn’t figure it out? Charlie. Charlotte Magne. How else would she have that limo or be able to pay off our hospital bills with no issue?”

A big reason Angel didn’t like the hospital was because of the bills. Of course, there was more to it than that, but it was one of the things that just made it all worse for him. Charlie had offered almost immediately to pay their bills, and Angel knew better than to turn her down.

“Oh.” Husk said, “I feel kind of stupid.”

“Yeah, well, you are kind of stupid.” Angel said, laughing when Husk started cursing at him.

They got to the door finally, and Angel opened it, holding it and gesturing for Husk to enter, “After you.”

Husk went through the door, rolling his eyes.

“What a gentleman.” He said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Angel just laughed.

They sat on Angel’s bed, eating their food and relaxing, until there was a knock on the door.

“If it’s Alastor I swear to god-” Husk started, before being cut off.

“Hey you two! I just wanted to say it’s dinner time! The staff is eating dinner in the usual room, if you wanted to join us!” It was Charlie.

“Staff?” Husk asked, ignoring the rest of her statement.

“Coming!” Angel shouted, before turning to Husk, “I was the first patron, and the only one for a while, so I just ate dinner with the staff. Even when more patrons came in I was just so used to it that I did it anyway.”

“Oh.”

“Ya’ hungry?”

Husk’s stomach growled, despite the fact that he’d just eaten. Then again, a granola bar really wasn’t very much.

“I guess you are.” Angel said, “C’mon, let’s go. I can properly introduce you to the girls, too!”

-

**_Ring…_ **

_C’mon, pick up._

**_Ring…_ **

_I know you’re still awake._

**_Ring-_ **

“ **Angie?** ”

“Hey, babe.”

Angel stood on the balcony, resting against the railing and holding a cigarette between two fingers, the other hand holding his phone to his ear. Husk was in the hotel room, sleeping in their bed. It was a little past midnight.

“ **Oh my god, hey! Why the fuck haven’t you called before, I was getting worried about you!** ” Cherri exclaimed.

Angel chuckled, “Sorry. Got distracted. But we made it to the hotel!”

“ **I figured, if you’re finally calling.** ” Cherri replied.

“Yeah. We had a few run-ins with some of Vox’s fuckin’ minions, but we got past ‘em pretty okay.” Angel said, “Husk’s car is absolutely fucked up though.”

“ **Wait what? What happened?** ”

Angel started to list off the bigger events of their trip, both ones involving the actual running away and smaller things such as him and Husk sleeping together for the first time.

“ **You gotta send me a picture of you with that blonde hair, Angie.** ” Cherri said.

Angel laughed, of course that was the first thing she’d mention.

“ **And look at you, ya’ got a boyfriend.** ” She continued, obviously teasing.

Angel just let out a breathy chuckle, looking up at the sky from the balcony. “Yeah. I do.”

Cherri was quiet for a moment, taking in just how absolutely smitten he sounded.

“ **Oh, you love him, don’t you?** ” She asked, sounding astonished.

Feeling his face heat up, Angel shook his head with a laugh.

“No. I don’t think so.” He said, “But I think I will, eventually.”

“ **I can tell.** ” Cherri said, “ **I’m glad, Angie. You deserve someone who actually treats you well.** ”

“Yeah.” Angel agreed, “I’m starting to believe it, too.”

“ **You** ** _do_** **.** ”

“I know, I know. It’s just one of those things you know but don’t really believe.”

“ **I get it.** ”

Angel smiled, rolling his eyes. “Well, I’m glad you get it.”

He heard Cherri begin to speak, before there was what sounded like a banging noise.

“The fuck was that?” Angel asked.

“ **Oh shit-** ” Cherri said, before Angel heard her call out, “ **Pen, what the fuck are you doing?!** ”

“‘Pen?’” Angel asked.

“ **I’ll explain later.** ” Cherri replied.

“ _Okay_.” Angel said, the tone of his voice teasing.

“ **It’s not what you think, shut the fuck up.** ”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

Angel heard a voice on Cherri’s end, but he couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. It was definitely a familiar voice though, and he found himself chuckling.

“ **Really?** ” Angel heard Cherri ask, before the voice replied, and Cherri sighed, “ **Okay.** ”

Cherri put the phone closer to herself, her voice no longer sounding far away.

“ **I gotta go, Angie. I’ll call you back in the morning.** ”

“Alright.”

“ **See ya’!** ”

Cherri hung up, and Angel smiled. Good for her, whatever she had going on. Angel had a hunch that he knew.

He continued to look out the balcony, taking in the scene before him. The sky was clear that night, and the moon was still in the sky, though it obviously wasn’t going to be for much longer. The balcony overlooked a few shorter buildings, and Angel couldn’t help but marvel at the city. It wasn’t the prettiest picture, but it sure was a picture.

He felt two arms wrap around his waist from behind, and jumped. For a moment, alarms went off in his head, but they were quickly silenced when he felt a head rest on his shoulder.

It was Husk.

Val had never rested his head on Angel’s shoulder, or even held him with such care as Husk was doing now. Angel leaned into the other man’s touch, sighing.

“What are you doing up?” Angel asked.

“You got up.” Husk said, providing no further explanation.

Angel smiled at him fondly.

“I realized I had to call Cherri, give her an update.” Angel said, “I haven’t called her since the night at the first motel.”

Husk hummed, “Okay.”

They were quiet, just taking in their surroundings and watching the city, breathing in the cold air of the night.

“When do you think we’ll be able to go home?” Angel asked, nearly whispering.

Husk didn’t respond immediately, either tired and processing what Angel had said or thinking about it.

“‘M not sure.” Husk finally replied.

Angel sighed, his shoulders relaxing, “Me neither.”

“Well, at least right now we’ve got a place to stay.” Husk said, “Who knows what’ll happen, I’m sure we’ll be able to go back eventually.”

Angel nodded.

“Yeah.” He said.

Then he smiled, turning his head so he could make eye contact with Husk.

“Look at you, trying to look on the bright side.” He said.

Husk grumbled, hiding his face in the crook of Angel’s neck, hiding from his lover’s gaze.

“Shut the fuck up.” He muttered.

Angel snickered, before he turned around. Husk had to move when he did, but his arms stayed around the other man’s waist.

“You’re trying to cheer me up, huh?” Angel asked, looping his arms around Husk’s neck.

Husk rolled his eyes, but the dorky smile on his face betrayed him. Angel had a feeling he wore a similar expression.

“Shut up.” Husk repeated.

Angel raised an eyebrow, “Make me.”

Husk leaned forward, pressing his lips softly against Angel’s. Angel kissed back, trying not to smile too much. When they pulled apart a moment later, they kissed again with just as much affection.

Angel broke into giggles, having to pull out of the kiss. He leaned his forehead against Husk’s as he laughed, and Husk’s confused expression just made him more amused.

“You’re cute.” He finally said, once he’d calmed down.

Husk’s eyes widened, and his face felt warmer to the touch a moment later. Angel let out a short laugh again.

They stood there, on the balcony, basking in the night and one another, and knew that things would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Regular! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and thank you for the comments and kudos, they really helped my stay motivated and I'm very proud of this story!
> 
> [If you liked this fic, consider following me on Twitter or Tumblr or anywhere else I am](https://linktr.ee/Pheonix_Inside)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! It was great writing this!


End file.
